Foot's Forecast | Weather Intelligence

HEAT TAKES OVER

Courtesy of the Denver Post

6:40 AM 6/28/12 (Forecaster Mike) – Almost every area of the country is starting to be affected by the building heat over the nation. Between the massive heat wave baking the Midwest states and the wildfires brewing in the west, there is certainly a fair share of summer heat this Thursday.

WILDFIRES CONTINUE – The Central Colorado zone continues to be on the alert for the extensive fire threat. Evacuations have already been declared across the state as people are trying to get away from the expanding threats. There may be some hope on the horizon for Thursday, as we look for some isolated thunderstorms over the region. While some of the storms may be dry, which will only add to the fire threat, there is a chance that storms bring rainfall, which will significantly improve the situation. Colorado is not the only region threatened by the fires though. Across the western Ohio River Valley, we have another location for some wildfires because of the record-shattering heat, windy conditions and relatively low humidity.

Fire Threat from the SPC

HAZARDOUS HEAT WAVE – The Kansas City Metro is on high alert for the massive heat wave growing over the middle of the country. Many of the big cities in the Midwest and Plains states will be flirting with record highs on Thursday as the heat grows stronger and humidity floods. Excessive Heat Warnings are in effect for eastern Kansas and western Missouri until 7 PM Saturday as heat index values surge to near 110º in places.

• St. Louis, Missouri could easily be heading up into the mid to upper 100s which will demolish the old record high for Thursday of 104º.
• Kansas City, Missouri is more of a long shot for the record, but there is still a chance that the city can surpass the 107º set back in 1936.
• Chicago, Illinois can expect highs around 100º, which gives a decent chance at breaking the daily record of 101º.
• For Indianapolis, Indiana, the National Weather Service has issued Excessive Heat Warnings and has stated that much of Central Indiana will be at the hottest point since the 1930s, but the entire region will easily be the hottest since 1988!
• Burlington, Iowa may hit high temperatures around 100º which may be short of the record of 104º, but there could be dewpoints in the upper 70s across Iowa and northern Missouri which could push heat index values to near 110º anyway.

Graphic from Indianapolis NWS

 As the heat becomes more common, we need to remember some basic hot-weather healthiness tips. Especially in some regions, the humidity levels will be very high, which hinders the body’s ability to cool itself. If possible, try to limit exposure outdoors to the heat as much as you can and especially avoid strenuous outdoor activity. If you do need to be outside, be sure to remain hydrated.

NO MORE COOL IN THE EAST – Philadelphia in the Southeast Pennsylvania zone hit a high of 80º on Tuesday and 86º on Wednesday. Thursday we expect temperatures to continue the climb upwards into the lower 90s, but we could be looking at upper 90s by Friday. The cool weather of Tuesday and dry heat of Wednesday is starting to wind to a close on Thursday. While the brunt of the heat wave will spare the eastern states until Friday, many people along the I-95 Corridor will see temperatures spiking into the lower 90s. Humidity levels will remain relatively low on Thursday with dewpoints around 60º, but as they jump to near 70º on Friday, there will be no shortage of excessive heat, leaving the weather of Tuesday as a faint memory.

DEBBY’S DEAD – The remains of Debby have finished their journey across Florida and have now merged into the open Atlantic. This provides an open path out to sea, but the flooding and damage has already been done across the Florida and Southern Georgia. As you can see in the following precipitation total for the last 7 days, some areas have picked up over 20” of rain with a pretty significant portion of the state seeing over 10”. 

Rainfall from the National Weather Service

Have a nice Thursday, stay cool, and stay tuned right here for the latest!