Sticky and stormy

Update #454

Happy 4th of July! 🎆

After a week of atmospheric fireworks, today (Sunday) will be less active weather-wise. Widely scattered showers and thunderstorms will develop this afternoon, mostly fizzling by sunset (8:30 pm) as celebratory fireworks kick off.

With all the stormy conditions over the past week and more to come, it’s a good time to bookmark my local Hudson Valley radar which allows you to track rain in real time.

A thunderstorm near Auckland in March 2021 | 📸 Colin Barkus

For the week ahead, heat, humidity, and storms will again be the theme. While 5 out of 7 days have a thunderstorm risk, activity on Wednesday and Thursday has a chance to be particularly heavy.

Tuesday looks to be the hottest day of the week. While the 90+ degree heat will only last two days, the humidity will be unrelenting 🥵

Like last week, a tap of tropical moisture will be open along the eastern seaboard. On Thursday, remnant moisture from Tropical Storm Elsa, now over the Caribbean, could streak northward along the East Coast, fuelling shower and thunderstorm activity ⛈️

A break in the action is possible on Friday.

Humidity looks like it will build again next weekend as the chance for showers and storms increases.

The week of the 12th looks to have more of the same.

Winter in July

Here in New Zealand, the greenest season of the year is winter. It’s a bit counterintuitive, especially compared to what we’re used to in New York, but temperatures are warm enough to sustain growth through winter which also happens to be the wettest time of the year.

The rolling hills are lined with a lush green carpet, as far as the eye can see.

A pattern of high pressure this week has made for excellent star gazing conditions. New Zealand is home to one of the world’s 17 dark sky reserves or a public or private land possessing an exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights and nocturnal environment that is specifically protected for its scientific, natural, educational, cultural, heritage and/or public enjoyment.

Hope you have a sparkling week! 🌠