A little January thaw

A little January thaw is underway here in the eastern U.S. We finally went above freezing this week for the first time since December 12th.  Daytime highs Friday and Saturday will be quite mild...well into the 40s. We may evening hit 50 in some neighborhoods on Saturday.  After that, colder air comes in Saturday night and next week we should see temperatures around normal. Our normal highs should be in the lower 30s.  Some days will be below that, some a bit above, but generally a bit more normal. Considering that January is the coldest month of the year, I'll take that.

Meanwhile, AccuWeather's Joe Bastardi is starting to talk about a potential cold outbreak (like many degrees below normal) beginning mid-January and continuing for a few weeks. The National Weather Service long range maps don't show that yet. I hope that doesn't happen here in NE Ohio, but we'll keep an eye on it.

Meanwhile, enjoy the "warm"!

After Christmas

Weather here in the lower Great Lakes is going to take a pleasant turn as we get into the days after Christmas. First of all, though, we have to wait for this big east coast storm to exit early in the week.  Once is does our winds will shift from the north to a more southerly direction and that will warm things up beginning Tuesday.

The beginning of the Christmas snow in North Carolina

My friend Brian, who used to live here in Akron, now lives near Charlotte, NC. It doesn't usually snow down there for Christmas. It is this year. (See his picture at left.) They are picking up several inches of the white stuff this weekend. After dumping snow in North Carolina, that system is going to head up the coast and on Sunday and Monday, blizzard and near blizzard conditions are expected from Philadelphia to Boston. If you plan to travel out that way, check ahead.  You really don't want to travel out there until Tuesday.

Meanwhile, back here in NE Ohio, on Tuesday we should get near or slightly above freezing. If we go above 32 degrees it will be for the first time since December 12th.  We will remain there (daytime highs) for several days. In fact, a surge of warm air heading into the region will push our daytime highs into the 40s on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. After that our temperatures should bounce around a lot.

Or normal daytime high in early January should be in the lower 30s. January and February are traditionally the coldest months of the year.  Last year February was a killer clocking in at nearly 3 degrees below normal.  I don't expect that this year.  As I mentioned earlier, while we will have some typical winter weather during the next two months, the pit of the winter has already passed.  We do look for another surge of cold, however, sometime in March.

Happy Holidays!

I'm still dreaming of a white Christmas

(Snowfall map courtesy of www.accuweather.com)

Not that this is by any means a surprise, but I do believe we are going to have a white Christmas. In fact about 50% of the nation will have a white Christmas.  Normal would be 33%, so this year will be whiter than normal. And, then you have Europe and snow in London. Gads, it's like Charles Dickens' days all over again.

I think one of the really neat Christmas treats this year will be snow falling on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. You will notice on the map above that lake effect is not shown. Add in the lake effect and you can fill in that brown section of NE Ohio.  We won't see too much, but we will pick up an inch or so over the weekend.

That being said, best wishes from my cat Bomber and me for a very Merry Christmas!

No major events

Courtesy of www.accuweather.com

After two weeks of serious lake effect, we are going to remain in a fairly relaxed pattern for a while.  There will be some weather move through the region during the next several days, but the lake effect should remain under control.

Checking the long range maps, I don't seen anything more than just a couple of inches between now and Tuesday. Wow! That means for the first time in three weeks we will have a Monday where we won't be measuring the snowfall in feet.  :-)

I'll be heading to New York City over the weekend and won't be back until Thursday. If I see anything big coming along, I'll let you know. Otherwise, just sit back, relax, and enjoy the final weeks of December.

Ah...the beginning of the end (Tuesday 12:30pm)

Interesting how the lake effect snow pattern has changed this afternoon.  The snow seems to be centered in a very small area across parts of central and northern Summit County and northern Portage County.  It's been that way for most of the morning.

Most of the area will not see too much additional snowfall today, although those areas where the snow persists will see a few inches fall. Basically, this is the beginning of the end. While flurries and snow showers will likely continue into tomorrow, the big stuff is over.

Time to dig out!

At some point this stops being fun...

I think we are reaching the point where we want to yell, "ENOUGH ALREADY!" However, I must say it is a thing of natural beauty just watching the snow fall and accumulate the way it has been.

Anyhow, looks like one more crazy day then we will start to turn around. South of I-76 it should be a 3-5 inch day today.  North, once again, upwards to a foot.  (5-10 inches is what I have in the forecast.)  Overnight tonight the winds will start to back off and we should only see a few new inches.  Same for tomorrow. Then, toward the end of the week, the sun will peak through once again.  The sun...you remember what that is, don't you?

Enjoy!

Lake effect continues... (Monday 11am)

Looks like the lake effect snow will continue through the day tomorrow as we expected.  We should finally  get a break on Wednesday. Meanwhile, here's what the numbers look like:

New snow this afternoon 3-6 inches (heaviest north of I-76)
Tonight an additional 3-7 inches
Tomorrow an additional 3-6 inches

Enjoy!

Winter Storm Update (Monday 9am)

The view from my apartment.
This was when you could see across the
parking lot. It got worse right after I
took this picture. Those cars disappeared.

Horizontal snow is never a very good thing.  My neighbors just disappeared.  I think they are there somewhere, I just can't see them through the snow.

Here's my morning forecast.  No real changes, however, we may have to up the snow accumulation total this afternoon. It's coming down pretty good right now.


WINTER STORM WARNING THROUGH TUESDAY!

Today - Windy with heavy lake effect snow, blowing and drifting. New snow by evening 4-10 inches. The heavier amounts will occur north of I-76.
High 21



Tonight - Windy with snow continuing accumulating an additional 3-5 inches.
Low 11

Tuesday - Windy with lakre effect snow continuing.
High 22.

Winter Storm Update (Sunday 6pm)

I'm pleased to say that the forecast really hasn't changed much since our last update. You know, I'm kind of enjoying this weather. It was so nice last night and this afternoon that twice I walked up to K-Mart from my apartment.  It's only a 10 minute walk one-way and I could have driven, but it was very pleasant just cranking up the MP3 tunage and walking in the snow. Anyhow, back to the forecast...

Overnight tonight a trough will cross the area and that will do three things:  the winds will increase, the temperature will drop, and the lake effect snow will begin. After that happens, nothing will change much until Wednesday.

As for snowfall totals, here's what I'm looking for with the heavier amounts north of I-76. These numbers represent total snow on the ground, not new snowfall for that period.

7am Monday - 3-5 inches
7pm Monday - 8-10 inches
7am Tuesday - 12-15 inches
Additional moderate to heavy snow accumulation is likely during the day Tuesday

With the wind blowing and snow falling, there will be times when driving will very dangerous.  Be careful out there.

Enjoy!

Winter Storm Update (Sunday 6am)

Today’s AlterNation Weather Forecast
(Updated: Sunday, December 12, 2010 at 6:01 AM)

WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY!

Sunday - December 12
Becoming windy with rain changing to snow late morning or early afternoon accumulating 1-3 inches by evening. Morning high 38 turning colder after noon.

Tonight
Lake effect snow will develop with accumulations of
3-5 inches by Monday morning. Winds will increase causing considerable blowing and drifting.
Low 18


Monday - December 13
Windy with heavy lake effect snow, blowing and drifting. Total snow by Monday evening 8-10 inches.
Snow will continue overnight totaling 10-12 inches by Tuesday morning.
Monday’s High 21


Tuesday - December 14
Windy with heavy lake effect snow continuing with additional accumulation.
High 22


Wednesday - December 15
Mostly cloudy and cold with occasional flurries and snow showers.
High 24

Winter Storm Update (Saturday 7pm)

Things remain on schedule for a significant snowfall across the region Sunday night into Tuesday. At the moment rain is moving up across the state and should reach the Greater Akron area around midnight. The rain will change to snow tomorrow. There's a conflict as to when the air will get cold enough for the changeover. At the latest it will be early afternoon. At the earliest it will be a few hours after daybreak.

Winds will gradually increase during the day Sunday, but will really get cranking after dark. By 6am Monday they should be in the range of 20-25 mph with gusts over 35 mph. With snow falling, that should make for a nasty morning commute.

The heaviest snowfall is expected to occur during the day Monday into Monday night with the strong winds continuing.

Lake effect snowfall is anything but an exact science, but since we love to hear specifics (which are really not specifics at all...just intelligent guesses) here are some snowfall numbers for you:

7pm Sunday - total snow 1-3 inches
7am Monday - total snow 3-5 inches
7pm Monday - total snow 8-12 inches
7am Tuesday - total snow 10-14 inches

Just as last week, the heaviest snowfall is expected north of I-76. Remember, these are just intelligent guesses at the moment and will have to be updated once the snow begins.

To my snowplowing friends, rest up during the day Sunday. For the rest of you, get done what you have to do before Sunday dinner.

Winter Storm Update (Friday 8pm)

Everything appears to be on track for another major lake effect snow event (no tickets needed for admission) beginning late Sunday and continuing into midweek.

Winds will start to increase Sunday afternoon and will reach levels of 30-40 mph with stronger gusts overnight Sunday. Initial snowfall will begin Sunday afternoon with 3-4 inches likely by Monday morning. Combine that with the wind, and visibilities will be extremely low by daybreak. It looks like the Monday commute is not going to be pleasant.

Lake effect snow will continue Monday into Tuesday with amounts similar to last week...meaning a foot or more...especially north of I-76.

Just to give you an idea of what we expect, the forecast computer printouts I'm looking at for 5am-6am Monday morning are showing snow with winds of 30-37 mph, a temperature of 17, and a wind chill of -10.

Ah...welcome to winter! And, hey...be careful out there!

Rain for most of the weekend...then LAKE EFFECT!

We have seen a drastic change in the path of the weekend storm. It appears to be headed into Michigan, which will put us in he warm sector most of the weekend. However, by Sunday night some serious lake effect is expected develop just as last week and continue into Tuesday. Snow fall totals my be similar to a week ago, so It would be good to keep up on later forecasts.

"Hold the phone...!"

While our expected weekend storm is getting itself together, the latest information makes it appear that the storm will actually scoot across northwest Ohio.  What that means is that the heavy snow will be back in the Chicago area and we will see a combination of rain and snow here in NE Ohio.

We are, however, going to have to be concerned about lake effet as we go into Sunday night and Monday. It's likely that the lake effect will end up producing more snow in northeast Ohio than the storm system itself.

At present, here's what I think is going to happen: Saturday is just going to be a cloudy day. Snow Saturday night will total 2-4 inches before turning to rain on Sunday. On Sunday the winds will increase and turn to a more northwesterly direction. The rain will turn back to snow and overnight lake effect will kick in with much colder temperatures and strong NW winds. Additional snow accumulation is likely and that will continue into Monday. On Monday wind chills will be around -10 degrees at times.

As for snow totals, be sure to keep up on later forecast. With lake effect you never know for sure what is going to happen until it starts to happen.

Here we go again!

Graphic courtesy of www.accuweather.com

Enjoy the little break we're going to get between this lake effect event and our next big storm system.  Looks like we have a good one winding up for the last half of the weekend.

As we look into the crystal ball, here's what we see...a storm will develop over the southern plains and then move northeast into the Ohio Valley on Saturday. By Saturday night we could have a pretty decent snow coming down.  That will continue into Sunday and then be followed by strong gusty winds and more lake effect for the first part of next week. Add to that the coldest air of the season (daytime highs on Tuesday may not get out of the teens) and we are in for a wintry treat once again.

Keep up on later forecasts for expected snowfall totals.

Here we go! Get out your boards and skis!

(graphic courtesy of www.accuweather.com)

The weather gods are ready to dump on us.  If all goes as they plan (and remember, lake effect snow is not an exact science) we are going to have an interesting few days ahead of us. The joys will begin today and continue into Tuesday.

At the moment (Sunday morning), here is what the forecast snow amounts look like:
   1-3 inches by Sunday evening
   4-6 inches on the ground by Monday morning
   8-10 inches by Monday night
   10-14 inches by Tuesday night

We are going to have to add strong, gusty winds to the forecast as well and that will make travel a bit complicated beginning tomorrow morning.

For my snow plowing friends, sleep well today because me thinks you are in for a long few days.

Enjoy!

It's December and it's snowing

   As if Mother Nature knew how to read a calendar, how clever that on the first day of December it snowed in Northeast Ohio.
   Well, I mentioned in earlier posts that right after Thanksgiving things were going to take a turn to colder. They did.  And now the second part of the winter arrival is underway.  The cold air will hang around for a few weeks. It's may even make it to Christmas. Nonetheless, we will begin to see snow, finally.  The slopes are blowing snow and the weather maps indicate that natural white stuff is headed our way. We should see a variety of storm systems and lake effect setting up between now and the holidays.
   Enjoy!

If you haven't hung up your Christmas lights yet...do it now!

   If you haven't hung up your Christmas lights yet, do it now...unless, of course, you enjoy working in more seasonal weather like cold temperatures and snow.  Then you can wait.
   The pleasant weather we've been enjoying is going to remain with us into Thanksgiving day, but then a change is gonna come. I've been looking at some of the forecast models for the period after Thanksgiving and what we are in for will be daytime highs in the 30s and nighttime lows in the teens.  The fun should start on Friday after Thanksgiving. This cold trend will most probably continue right into Christmas. So it looks like the month of December is going to be cold with snow mixed in as well.
   Wax up your boards and skis, the winter sports season is about to begin!

Where's winter? It's coming.

   I was just looking back over my winter forecast that I posted during the summer. I wanted to remember if we called this right.  So far, I think we are OK. In that forecast I mentioned that the winter cold would arrive sometime around mid-November.  Well, we are getting close.  These 30+ degree daytime temperature swings (low 30s in the mornings and mid 60s in the afternoons) have been hard for me to deal with. I prefer a more stable temperature pattern.
   Anyhow, the cold is coming, but it certainly is taking its time.  The long range planning charts are indicating a turn to colder temperatures in the eastern U.S. around Thanksgiving. That should set us up for a cold December which will make you winter sports enthusiasts happy.  However, get out there quickly and enjoy it.  We will likely begin a trend to warm again by mid-January.

Nice Fall weather continues for another week or so

   Gosh, we are into a nice Fall weather pattern.  Sunday (October 10) temperatures shot into the lower 80s which is about 15 degrees above normal.  That was an anomaly. We are going to settle back to much more normal temperatures for the next one to two weeks.
   Looking at the week ahead (October 11--17) we will see daytime high temperatures in the 60s pretty much every day. That trend will likely continue until late the following week when a cool down will begin.
   Forecast models are showing a turn to much colder temperatures during the last week of October... Halloween week. Our nighttime lows will probably be dropping into the 30s during that week as well. We may even nudge a degree or two below freezing. We'll see.
   Interestingly, this is pretty much what I talked about in my blog posting the first week of August when I discussed the outlook for Fall and Winter..."In October, by the time we get to Halloween, we cool down to daytime highs in the mid 50s. Generally speaking, it should be a pleasant season for outdoor college and high school sports. I think you players and fans will enjoy it."
   If you want to check out the entire posting for Fall and Winter, go here: http://bobsweather.blogspot.com/2010/08/look-at-this-fall-and-winter.html
   In the meantime, enjoy the nice Fall.

Cloudy and wet for the first half of the week

   An upper level LOW pressure area is stalled over the region.  Radar looks kinda cool because you can see the showers rotating around the center. This pattern is going to continue into midweek.  It looks like we should start to get some sun back in the forecast on Thursday.
   Now, if you are looking for a return to more pleasant temperatures, we have good news. Beginning late this week and continuing into next week, a nice warming trend is headed for the area along with plenty of sunshine. So, if this weather has you down now, just hang on for a few days.

Some real fall weather is on the way

If you haven't had enough of the cool fall weather, more is on the way for next week. We are going to get a respite Wednesday and Thursday of this week, but another cool front will push through the area at week's end knocking daytime high temperatures back into the 50s for the weekend.  And, it looks like the unseasonably cool weather will extend into next week as well. We might even see our first light frost sometime during the next seven days. Better get out the sweat shirts and sweaters. Personally, I love fall clothing.

A warm beginning to Autumn

(Map courtesy of AccuWeather.com)

   Fall officially arrives Wednesday night at 11:09pm. Interestingly, the high temperature on Thursday, the first full day of Autumn, will be nearly 10 degrees above normal. This is going to be a warm week with daytime highs in the upper 70s and low to mid 80s (with the exception of Monday). Things will return to closer to normal next week, so the warm-up will be short-lived.
   Other than that, I don't see any big weather crises heading our way in the near future.
   Enjoy the nice transition into Fall!
 

It's been awhile

   Yeah, I know I haven't posted anything for quite some time.  There really hasn't been much to say.  We are in a really nice late summer and soon-to-be early fall pattern. I love these warm days in the 70s and the cool overnights. It's so much better than that string of 90s we had over the summer.  Sorry you heat lovers, but I'm not sad to see those go.
   The next couple of weeks don't look too dissimilar to the past few.  Temperatures will continue to fluctuate.  We will have some warm days and some cool ones.  I'm not sure we will hit 80, but will have a few days in the upper 70s at least.
   So, enjoy!  By this time next month we will likely be starting to turn the corner to winter.

Refreshing...I love this

Lake effect clouds over northeast Ohio

   What a refreshing change this is.  A nice cool fall-like air mass has moved into the Great Lakes region replacing that hot 90s.  Of course, the nice thing about the weather this past week was that even though it was hot, it was not humid.  But, this type of air mass is one of my favorites for this time of year. Of course you gotta be careful.  I left all the windows open Friday night, knowing it was going to get cooler, but what the heck.  I did it anyway. So, when I woke up Saturday morning it was 58 degrees outside and 63 inside.  Now, that was a bit too chilly for breakfast, so I had to turn on the furnace for a cycle to warm things up.  Nonetheless, I enjoyed it.
   So, is summer over?  Well, not really, but I don't see any more 90 degree weather heading our way.  We will bounce into the lower 80s this coming week, but then the following week is looking a bit more like fall again.
   This is my favorite time of the year.  I hope you enjoy it as well.

Gads! It feels like early August!

(Graphic courtesy of AccuWeather)

   This is crazy.  Here we are at the end of August and it feels like the beginning of the month. Temperatures this week are going to be among the warmest of the summer. We're looking at potentially 5 consecutive days of 90+ . If you like it, enjoy it because it will come to a quick end this weekend.
   As we head into the Labor Day holiday weekend much cooler air is coming our way. Temperatures will probably just pass 80 degrees on Friday and then daytime highs will drop into the lower 70s for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.  We may even see some lake effect showers in NE Ohio on Saturday, but by later Sunday and for Labor Day Monday we should see plenty of sun.
   Enjoy the upcoming holiday weekend!

Another hot one on the way!

   Hopefully you enjoyed the cool last week. I've been busy running around moving the radio station and the weather center to it's third home of the summer so I haven't had time to write much.  At least we get to stay here for a while. Sorry about the absence.
   Anyhow, now that we're back, it's going to get hot again.  Most of this upcoming week will feature temperatures in the upper 80s.  That's about ten degrees above our normal for late August and the beginning of September. Plus, there's no rain in the forecast until Thursday at the earliest.
   As we head into Labor Day weekend a change is gonna come.  High temperatures for the holiday will mostly range between 70 and 75 degrees for the weekend and around 80 for Labor Day Monday. So, it looks like a pleasant weekend coming up...at least here in the Great Lakes.
   If you have any vacation plans that will take you from the Carolinas to the New England coastline, beware that a major hurricane could impact that region over the holiday. You'll want to keep an eye on Hurricane Earl as we head through the later part of the week.
   That's it for now.  Back to work!

15 days and counting

Wow!  This has been an amazing.  As of today (August 18) we have hit 90 degrees or higher 15 days this summer.  I can remember, as I'm sure many of you can, those summers when he never hit 90 even once.  This has been remarkable. So far this month we are averaging +4.3 degrees above normal.  July was +3.0 degrees and June +2.9 degrees. Not a bad summer for those of you who enjoy the heat.

As I mentioned in my Fall and Winter posting, we are looking for a rather mild autumn.  Personally I like that.

BTW...don't look for it to be this hot next summer.  It should be much cooler.

That's it....enjoy!

A look at this Fall and Winter

It's been a very warm summer. June, July, and so far August have averaged about 3 degrees above normal. That's a pretty hot summer! If you are a fan of a nice, easy Fall, you'll like what's coming up. As I mentioned back at the beginning of summer, I think we are going to see a very pleasant Fall season. Temperatures will be above normal through October. In September our daytime highs start out in the upper 70s and drop to the upper 60s by the end of the month.  In October, by the time we get to Halloween, we cool down to daytime highs in the mid 50s. Generally speaking, it should be a pleasant season for outdoor college and high school sports. I think you players and fans will enjoy it.

It looks like sometime around perhaps mid-November we will see a turn to colder temperatures. After that we will get into Winter, but the overview of Winter is not bad.  You may recall that last November was very warm.  Then came December, January, and February where temperatures averaged below normal.  February was particularly brutal averaging 2.8 degrees below the norm. That will not likely be the case this year.  We will have Winter, but not the prolonged weeks upon weeks of cold.

Joe Bastardi is a Senior Forecaster for AccuWeather. Joe has a good handle on the future and you can usually count on what he says is going to happen will happen. Looking over his Winter outlook and translating it into what it means for this region, the lower Great Lakes, I see the following:

 - Temperatures will cool down by late November and remain cold through most of, if not all of,  December.

 - We will see very few major snow storms around the lower Great Lakes the first part of Winter. Locally, we'll have to watch the snow belt area for lake effect because the lake will be very warm following this intense summer heat. When the wind shifts northerly we could have fun.

 - We should see a traditional "January Thaw" then it will be back to Winter.

 - The real heart of Winter weather as we like to imagine it will follow the "January Thaw" and continue through February with cold temperatures and snow storms.

 - While the Winter overall will not be as cold as last year, it will likely be punctuated by radical temperature swings...several days of mild temperatures followed by several days of cold temperatures.

So, there ya go! Not a bad Winter on the way.  It's probably going to be rather typical in most of our minds, it's just going to take a while to get started.

   Meanwhile, enjoy the Fall!

Hot, muggy, and stormy

   Well, I'm back from Streetsboro's Band Camp and riding the weather horse again.  We had a very nice weekend, but the dog days of August will return on Tuesday.  If you are planing anything outdoors, it's simply going to be hot and muggy with showers and thunderstorms from Tuesday through Thursday.  If you have anything you need to do outdoors, I'd wait until Friday if you can.  Friday's gonna be nice...less humid with a high around 80.

   Got to get back into my groove here, but in a few days I'm going to share with you some thoughts about the upcoming winter.  It's good to talk about snow when it's 90 degrees outside, don't you think?  

   Stay cool!

Eleven days of 90+ in July!

   We did it again today (Wednesday)! We hit 90 degrees again today here at the Weather Center. This marks the 11th day this month we have hit 90 or better. Toss in June and we are up to 12 days of 90+ along with three days of 89.
   This will be our last 90 degree day for July, but we will probably add on another couple in August.
   When all is said and done, this summer will go down as one of the warmest on record...somewhere in the Top 10, perhaps even the Top 5.
   Enjoy the cool down for the rest of the week and the weekend.

10 days of 90 plus!

   My electric bill is gonna be huge this month thanks to my air conditioning. Oh, well. I just wonder how our pioneer forefathers put up with this as they traveled across the plains.  Maybe that's why they all died before 50.
   So, how hot has it been this month?  Officially at the NWS observation station at Akron-Canton Airport we are running about 4 degrees above normal (+3.9 degrees) as of today. Meanwhile, here at the Weather Center, yesterday represented the 10th day this month that we hit 90 degrees or higher...
 
     4th - 90
     5th - 93
     6th - 93
     7th - 94
     8th - 95
     15th - 91
     17th - 90
     18th - 90
     23rd - 94
     24th - 92

   In addition, we had two other days when the mercury hit 89 degrees. That's almost as good as 90. LOL

   We will get a slight break for a few of days the first part of this week, then a couple hot ones midweek.  That will be followed by a pleasant cool down back into the lower and middle 80s for the end of the week and the weekend. Gads, you know it's a hot summer when we refer to the lower and middle 80s as cool.

Just remember this heat come January when many of you will be complaining about the cold. Too bad we can't save a bit in a box or something and use it later.

Enjoy!

Extreme clouds and colors

   I got a call from my friend Bruce tonight about 8:30pm. He told me go out and look to the northwest at the clouds.  He described it as looking like an oil slick or a gasoline spill in water except it was in the sky. It was pretty awesome.
   These were definitely some of the most interesting colors I have ever seen in the clouds.  I was especially taken aback by the blue-green colors.  Reds and oranges are not that unusual around sunset, but the blue-green colors were amazing.
   The situation was that we had some storms with very high tops out over Lake Erie. The tops of these clouds were made of ice crystals (cirrus clouds) and sheared off.  With the sun about to set, the prismatic affect of the sun and ice crystals produced these really neat colors.
   I took these pictures from downtown Streetsboro looking northwest between 8:30pm and 8:45pm tonight (Friday).

(In the first two pictures you can seen the blue-green colors mixed around the pinks and reds. In the third picture you not only have the blue-green effect around the top of the dark cumulus cloud, but you also have rays of sunlight being blocked by the heavy cloud structure. If you want a better look click on the pictures to make them bigger.)

Hot and hotter!

If you have any outdoor plans for this weekend, Sunday would be the best day. Friday and Saturday are going to be hot and hotter. Temperatures on Friday will be in the lower 90s.  Afternoon temperatures on Saturday will be in the lower 90s at least with some area of NE Ohio hitting the mid-90s. Whew! That's hot! Just thought I'd let you know it's coming in case you missed the bottom-of-the-hour weather.

Behold the endless summer?

   If you like hot, then you are enjoying this summer...and you could have a lot more to enjoy. Those guys who play football and soccer may like this. Gosh, I remember those end-of-season soccer games standing out there on the sidelines with the winter coat and gloves on while sleet was falling from the skies.  What was worse was the cold rain that accompanied it. Probably not gonna happen this year.
   I was looking over some of the 30-day and 90-day forecast charts this weekend. I think we may be in for an extended summer this year.  Temperatures from mid-July through mid-August are going to run above normal.  That's pretty much a given at this point. But, if we project out from the current time into mid-October, our forecast models are still calling for temperatures here in NE Ohio to be running above normal.      
   As for the winter months, right now it's looks like the warmer than normal trend will continue. We could end up with above normal temperatures for the season. Hmmmm...that could mean more of ice and less snow. We shall see.

Temperatures are running well above normal...it's hot!

   This is turning into quite a summer. It will likely go down as one of the hottest summers in recorded history.  Probably not the hottest, but one of the hottest.
   As of today (Sunday) the month of July is averaging about 3 degrees above normal.  In fact every month since February has been above normal. Check this out:
     March +3.9 degrees
     April +5.9 degrees
     May +3.8 degrees
     June +2.9 degrees
     July +3.0 degrees (as of July 18)
   So, looking at the summer months of June and so far July, we are running about 3 degrees above the norm.
   As for rainfall, you may recall that June was very wet. Well, July is turning out to be the opposite. So far we are only at 17% of our normal rainfall for the month and we are past the halfway mark.
   I think we may be talking about this one for a few years to come. "Hey, remember the summer of 2010? Wow! That was a hot one!"
   Stay cool!

The long, hot summer continues

   Here we are in the middle of July and the unseasonably hot temperatures continue. At the Weather Center in Streetsboro we have hit the 90 degree mark 7 times so far this summer...once in June and 6 times in July.  The hottest day so far has been July 8th when we topped out at 95 degrees.  Officially, at the Akron/Canton Regional Airport the mercury only hit 90+ four times prior to today.
   If you like it hot there is much more to come! After a brief respite with temps only in the mid-80s over the weekend, most of next week (with the likely exception of Monday) will produce daytime highs in the upper 80s and lower 90s.
   Those of you who were displeased with the cold winter we had, are you happy now?   LOL

More MUGGY is on the way

   I've been away a bit, but I'm back now. Also returning, which has nothing to do with me, is going to be the humidity.
   This week will start off rather pleasant, although scattered showers and storms are in the forecast for the first couple of days, but then the dew points are going to kick up into the uncomfortable and at times oppressive zone. This should start on Tuesday and continue into Friday.
   Looking back at last week, we had those really hot daytime highs.
For the record:
Monday 93
Tuesday 93
Wednesday 94
Thursday 95
That won't happen this week, although we could touch 90 toward week's end.
   Get out there and have fun!

The heat is on!

   We've only just begun. We have a few more days of this heat pump before we cool down for the weekend. This heat reminds me of my visits to Texas.  It's like this all summer down there.  You just move quickly from air conditioned building, to air conditioned car, back to air conditioned building. It's easy once you get the hang of it.
   So the temperature today (Monday) hit 93 here at the Weather Center.  Having lunch with some of our AlterNation staffers and discussing the heat, I found out that some of them did not know that the real temperature (the one we report) is taken in the shade. So, when I say it was 93 degrees today, that means 93 degrees in the shade.  It was about 15 degrees hotter in the sun. How does that make you feel?  LOL
   The heat will remain with us through Thursday as a nice HIGH pressure system over the east coast pumps warm...well, let's call it hot...air up from the south.  We will also begin to experience an increase in humidity.  Today wasn't bad, but that's gonna change.
   A cool front will drop in the end of the week sending us back into the "cool" 80s for the weekend. Meanwhile, enjoy your summer!

(Graphic courtesy of Accuweather.com)

I told you it was coming

Back in early June I mentioned that we should look forward to a very hot July. Well, here ya go! Following a mild day today (Saturday) in the mid 80s we are looking for 90 degrees or so Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and probably Wednesday.  Thursday and Friday look to be only in the upper 80s. A bit of a cool down, wouldn't you say? LOL

Woohoo!  IT'S SUMMER!

Get your swim suit ready

The cool and pleasant weather is almost over.  "HOT" is coming back into the forecast as we head into the holiday weekend. Temperatures will hit the mid 80s on Saturday and then 90 or above on Sunday and Monday.  The good news is that I don't see it getting very muggy.  It will be warm and somewhat humid, but not oppressive.  Should make for a nice holiday.  If you have any outdoor cookouts planned or intend on visiting the local fireworks, you're on!  Enjoy!

After the rain...a really nice week

After the rain a really nice week is on tap for the region. Gads, we picked up over 1.25" of rain Sunday evening and Monday morning here at the Weather Center. That's a lot of water! But, now the good weather is coming.
Beginning Tuesday and continuing right on through the rest of the week we are going to have lots of sunshine and very nice temperatures. When I was a kid we used to call this "Canada weather" because it felt like it did when we took our summer vacations in Canada. You can check out the forecast daily at the bottom of the hour on 88.9 FM to see if it holds up, but basically we are looking for sunny skies with daytime highs in the 70s through Friday.
FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND is evening looking good. Now, understand that this is a long ways away (like almost a week), but everything is pointing to dry weather and pleasant summertime temperatures for Saturday, Sunday and evening Monday.  Can we do it?  Let's hope so!
(Graphic courtesy of Accuweather.com)

A nice Friday and a hot weekend...

A nice Friday and a rather toasty weekend is coming up across the area.
Tomorrow is going to be really nice...lots of sun, comfortable dew points, and temperatures in the lower 80s.  However, as we head into the weekend we are going to see the heat crank up again along with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Looks like we'll have a better chance of the showers and thunderstorms later in the day Saturday and then rather muggy conditions on Sunday.
If you are looking for cool, I'm seeing a pool of much cooler air heading across the lower Great Lakes about mid-week next week.  We could see daytime highs only in the mid 70s for a couple of days. However, the heat will return shortly thereafter.

Gonna be a hot one!

This is summer! Today is going to be a hot, summer day across the North Coast. Temperatures this afternoon will top out near 90 degress. Combine that with a dewpoint in the upper 60s and it's going to be rather uncomfortable.

Relief is on the way though. A cooler air mass will move in tomorrow and by late in the day it will feel better.

Looking for an ideal day? Try Friday...mostly sunny, pleasant, and less humid with a high around 80. That's what I like!

Kinda stuffy for now, but that will change

Hot and humid July/August type weather is going to be around through midweek, but by the weekend it will feel much better. It's still going to be warm, but the dew point will drop, so it's actually going to be fun to be outside.

Friday looks like the best day with lots of sun and temperatures in the lower 80s. We will warm up a few more degrees on Saturday and Sunday, but the air is not going to be all that uncomfortable.

We could see a few scattered showers or thunderstorms (most likely Saturday overnight), but if you have weekend plans, enjoy whatever you are going to be doing. It should be good.