Dryness dominates 🌵

Update #511

Hello there! I’m back with another weekly weather report for the Hudson Desert, er, Valley.

A hot and largely rain-free start to August has seen dryness intensify, with both meteorological drought (lack of rain) and agricultural drought (lack of soil moisture) occurring in parts of the region.

The drought crown (not the one you want to be wearing) currently belongs to Dutchess and Putnam County where drought has reached severe levels according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

To put it in perspective: Death Valley, one of the driest places on Earth, has been wetter than the Hudson Valley this month 🤯

So, when is it going to rain?

🫣 Welp, the chances appear few and far between.

🙌 On the bright side, the recent reduction in heat and humidity will linger on. As I sit here writing this in New Zealand’s late winter comfort, I appreciate how nice it must be to not see “90” in the chart above.

Very comfortable dew points in the 40s and 50s are expected through Wednesday — unlike the Persian Gulf-like humidity levels felt early last week.

A coastal low on Wednesday *could* flick a finger of moisture back our way, but I wouldn’t bet on it. New England is crossing its fingers and toes for some soaking rain as extreme drought has developed in Massachusetts and Rhode Island (see map above).

The humidity will gradually climb from Thursday into the weekend as a southerly air flow develops. There’s a chance that a patch or two of rain moves our way sometime next weekend, but the odds generally favor more dry than wet.

At this point, the week of the 22nd is looking warmer than average 🌡️

The animation below shows that rainfall in the drought-stricken Northeast looks quite meager over the coming week.

Peering a bit deeper into the crystal ball, our hot summer could roll into a warmer than average fall across the region. September is currently favored to be drier than normal, barring a tropical storm.

Soon, it will be time for me to start writing my Hudson Valley winter outlook! ☃️

Ben Noll @BenNollWeather

Just think, it will look something like this in ~4 months in the Northeast 😄 ❄️

Living life on the edge

Embracing nature is part of living in New Zealand. Some of the walks, tramps as they are called here, come with world-class views — but they aren’t always easy to get to.

Many things that are worth it aren’t easy, right?

Make this week worth it ✌️