Bad smoke blowing away, sunshine to surge
Update #714: There will be a handful of winning weather days in the Hudson Valley this week.
I’m not sure exactly what this summer has turned into, but a sequence of record-breaking heat, severe storms, flooding rainfall, horrendous wildfire smoke, and yet more storms is enough to make anyone’s head spin.
From a meteorological perspective, the last week has been about as busy as one with a winter storm or hurricane.
In the Hudson Valley, skies are clearer and cleaner this Sunday, but there’s still some smoke around. That should fully clear on Sunday afternoon.
Monday is looking pretty clear and it will be raining up on the Canadian fires. That’s the good news.
On Tuesday, more rain, possible storms, higher humidity and perhaps a touch of smoke are in the forecast. A rather strong summer cold front will blow through on Wednesday, with some lingering showers possible.
After that, the weather is going to turn magnificent during what’s typically the hottest time of the year. Some well-deserved good weather — as long as the smoke stays away.
The week ahead
Aside from the period from Tuesday into Wednesday, the week ahead looks pretty solid — as long as smoke concentrations stay low.
Monday: wonderful
Tuesday: turning more humid with a risk for storms that bring heavy rain and gusty winds, mainly later
Wednesday: some lingering showers are possible as a cold front passes and the air turns less humid
Thursday: magnificent
Friday: nice again
Saturday-Sunday: at this point, odds favor a decent weekend, but this forecast is not set in stone
Looking ahead to the week of July 27, I’m seeing more of the same: A lack of sustained high heat with frequent wind flows from Canada. There could be more frequent showers and thunderstorms, but that would also help keep smoke concentrations low.
This is what the sun looked like from my backyard on Sunday, with one little blemish (sunspot) in the center.
Interestingly, some people in wildfire smoke-affected areas of the Eastern U.S. were able to capture this very sunspot without any special camera equipment.
That’s because the smoke filtered out some of the sun’s intense glare, leaving behind a muted orange disk that revealed the sunspot.
Here’s hoping for more sun and less smoke this week!
