Where's summer? π
Update #503
Not in the Northeast. Yet!
On Saturday afternoon, the temperature rose to just 67 degrees in Poughkeepsie, well below the average of 81. It was actually warmer at 3:00 am when it was 73.
After a cool (!) start to the day in the 40s, today (Sunday) will be a little warmer than yesterday, but still blustery π¬οΈ I trust your windows are wide open πͺ
Conditions will gradually turn warmer and more humid through the week, as the summer solstice comes and goes at 5:13 am on Tuesday morning.
Before you peek at the outlook below, be grateful that youβre not spending the week in southern Georgia. On Wednesday, it may reach a gaudy 110ΛF, near the all-time state high temperature record of 112ΛF. Highs of 105 to 110ΛF are also forecast in Tennessee, Alabama, and South Carolina. Hereβs a map of forecast highs.
Meanwhile, the Hudson Valley will find itself on the outskirts of a ridge of high pressure most of the week, along a highway of disturbances β many days will have some chance for rain π¦οΈ
βοΈ Enjoy Monday. It will be the pick day of the week with low humidity, a good deal of sunshine, and dry conditions.
A warm front will approach on Tuesday, with a chance for some rain or showers, primarily later in the day and at night.
By Wednesday morning, the humidity will become more noticeable and the moist air mass will come with a chance for showers or a thunderstorm. Thursdayβs pattern looks similar to Wednesday. Should the region get stuck in a corridor of rain and clouds, it could turn out cooler than indicated above.
Signs are that Friday will bring mostly dry, warmer weather.
Muggy weather will hold on through the weekend with a low-to-moderate chance for scattered showers.
The unsettled nature of the pattern adds an extra layer of complexity, so forecast details are prone to change up until a day or two before.
With graduations coming up next weekend, Iβll provide some updates on Twitter through the week π Fingers crossed things trend drier π€
The week of the 27th looks typically warm and humid for the time of year, but Iβm not seeing an overwhelming signal for a heatwave. The most persistent heat is expected across the nationβs midsection and Southeast, where growing dryness will be of concern.
The graphic below shows forecast maximum temperature over the next 10 days. White (yellow) outlined areas indicate where 90ΛF (100ΛF) is forecast to be reached or exceeded. Notice how the Northeast isnβt included in the heat bubble!
Volcanic impacts, six months later
It has now been over six months since the Tongan volcanic eruption β the largest in over three decades, since Mt Pinatubo blew in 1991.
The organization I work for in New Zealand, NIWA, has been flooded with vibrant sunrise and sunset photos in recent weeks, featuring unusual blue, purple, and violet hues.
Turns out that aerosols from the eruption, like sea salt and sulfuric acid, have drifted southward in the Pacific Ocean, with concentrations peaking about 13 miles above New Zealand in the stratosphere.
As the sun dips below the horizon in the evening, the leftover, low-angle light has a chance to illuminate the stratosphere for a time. The light gets βscatteredβ by the aerosols high up in the atmosphere, appearing as a particularly purple color to an observer on the ground.
Check out the stunning shot below - credit to Tim Harper, who took the photo on the shores of the South Islandβs Lake Wanaka this past week following a recent snowfall.
Read more: https://niwa.co.nz/news/seen-a-stunning-sunrise-or-sunset-lately-the-tongan-volcano-may-be-the-cause
The aerosols have yet to drift into the Northern Hemisphere mid-latitudes, so similar sunsets are not expected in the U.S. β at least not yet.
Hope your week is stratospherically good π