...Advertisement...

...Advertisement...

Weather Journal

with Kevin Myatt

Hot and dry ahead

extremeheat0621small.gif

This map from the Climate Prediction Center shows threat areas of extreme heat just west and just east of us during the next week. That means, while our heat may not meet the definition of "extreme," it will be plenty hot. Building high pressure over the area promises to bring warmer than normal temperatures and below normal precipitation over the next 6-10 days. Precipitation will be limited to some scattered afternoon showers and thunderstorms on a few days when heat and humidity will combine with weak disturbances or fronts ... Saturday has some potential. This is not very good news considering we are now at the lip of true drought conditions across the area, as this map shows us in "abnormally dry" conditions. When hot and dry weather builds in and dries the ground and vegetation out, it becomes increasingly difficult to break out of drought, usually requiring something unusual in the atmosphere. Last year, we got that something unusual with several days of late June rain as a tropical fetch blew against the mountains. Nothing like that is on the horizon, at least for now. Feel blessed if you get a shower.

No comments yet

Post a comment





Search


Weather bulletins

Kevin Myatt's weather columns

About this blog

Mug of Kevin Myatt

Kevin Myatt works on the copy desk for The Roanoke Times and is its principal weather geek, writing a weekly weather column and advising the newsroom on weather topics. He helps guide students on a storm chasing trip to the central U.S. each May and was an editor for "Hurricanes and the Middle Atlantic States."

E-mail Kevin

RSS feed

.....Advertisement.....