LET THE GAMES BEGIN!
10:45 AM 7/24 (Forecaster Mike) – With the Olympic torch in
London for the 2012 Olympics, the games are on a lot of people’s minds across
the world! For our Tuesday, we have our own little game, which may get a little
intense as the summer heat battles cooler air along the northern fringe of the
country. There is plenty of heat across the country this Tuesday, which is
providing no shortage of energy for storms to develop. A frontal boundary
separates the hot weather from the cool weather, but the biggest concern is
right in the middle where we have another threat for strong to severe storms!
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| Jackson, MS National Weather Service Outlook |
THE HEAT – We’ve been focusing a lot on Kansas City lately,
and rightfully so because that city is right in the middle of the heat
epicenter! However, areas like Central Mississippi are also experiencing lots
of heat, even if it isn’t as significant as the sweltering heat across the
Midwest. Advisor Shundra Stewart has warned of highs across the region in the
upper 90s with heat indices likely surpassing 100º! The worst of the heat is
still concentrated across Iowa and Missouri and surrounding states where many
cities could easily surpass 100º, adding to streaks of hot days for the cities!
THE COOL – On the other side of the arena, we have the cool
weather, which is mainly concentrated over the Great Lakes. It is actually a
stretch to call this cool weather, but perhaps comparatively cool is the better
term. 80s will be the most common across the Great Lakes, but some areas may
surpass 90º, while others heading into the Northeast may not even get out of
the 70s.
THE BATTLEGROUND – This is where much of the focus is across
the country now – right along the frontal boundary where the heat and the cool
clash. The temperature contrast is quite significant across just a short area.
For example, looking at the graphic above, you can see cities like Des Moines,
Iowa expecting to hit 105º, while Milwaukee not too far to the east, is
expecting a high of 80º! That’s quite a difference across a relatively short
distance!
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| Today's SPC outlook |
A few zones will be on the lookout today for the storms, but
a lot is centered around the Tidewater zone of Virginia. Temperature contrast
can’t really disturb someone’s day too much. However, severe storms can. We
have an elongated area where severe storms are possible stretching from the
upper Midwest all the way down to the Carolina coast. Strong winds are possible
as storms already fire up across portions of Indiana and Ohio. New storms are
expected to develop, and these will race to the southeast.