“Oh What A Beautiful Morning…”

- from the Rodgers & Hammerstein Musical, Oklahoma

4:00 PM EDT Tuesday 7/26/2011: Some folks in the Northeast and Upper Great Lakes Region finally received a taste of the gifts Canada can deliver this time of year (as reported by Michigan Weather Watcher.) This climate freebie came in the form of a cool, dry high pressure system which followed Monday’s passage of a cold front through the Mid-Atlantic. With pleasant overnight temperatures in the 50’s and 60’s from Michigan and Ohio to Pennsylvania and West Virginia, it sure was a beautiful morning for many after such an oppressive heat wave. Noticeably lower humidity today will be observed in many Eastern states which just about melted away under 100-110 F+ heat indices for up to a week.

Heat Wave Recap Lead Forecaster Jason Mitchell of the Capital Region wrote a final look back at the historically sweeping nature of this widespread heat event, in this special report titled "The Northeast U.S. Heat Wave of 2011." His and other exclusive articles produced by our forecasters over time will be posted in a new section to be titled “Special Reports.” This will contain prior submissions from our multi-state team, including Long Range analyses, Climate & Space Science reports and essays about the nature of weather’s impact on society and society’s impacts on climate.

Looking beyond the shore 

Our Tropical Team continues to monitor increasing probability of development within a few areas of disturbed weather. Though the 2011 Hurricane Season may have had an apparent slow start, we we recall many recent years where the action kicked in by late July to early August and never looked back for 40 or more days. This relatively quiet period in the tropics is a great opportunity to finalize preparations for those residing along coastal areas. As the National Weather Service might say, “Are you StormReady?” (Advisors Mr. Foot and Mr. Lear)