Good Friday to one and all. Heat and humidity continue to take hold of the weather into the weekend, but a major cold front is about to make sure that’s short-lived. This front will usher in a taste of September temperatures early next week. The transition between the two may fire up some healthy thunderstorms late Sunday and Monday.
Let me begin with a recap of something I wrote for yesterday’s post…
Friday and Saturday feature the hottest days of the summer. Daytime highs range from 90-95 in many areas with a heat index above 100 for many. I know there’s an Excessive Heat Warning (heat index of 110 or higher for 2 straight hours or more or 4 straight days of 105 or higher for 2 consecutive hours on each day ) out for many, but we seem to be lowering the standards for that. This is Heat Advisory material for many in central and eastern Kentucky and some may struggle to even get to that (105 for 2 straight hours or more).
The Excessive Heat Warning began Thursday and this was the end result on the Kentucky Mesonet sites…
Only 7 out of nearly 75 sites managed to hit 90 degrees for a high. This wasn’t even the hottest day of the past week, let alone something worthy of an Excessive Heat Warning.
Here’s a look at the Heat Index temps shortly before 4pm…
Those numbers weren’t even into the Heat Advisory criteria.
I digress.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms will try to go back up this afternoon and evening, especially in the south and southeast. Here are your Friday tracking tools…
The threat for a few storms will increase a bit on Saturday and that could play a factor in keeping temps down just a bit…
Showers and storms will become more widespread on Sunday and that is obviously going to keep temps down. Some of those storms may be on the strong side as a cold front drops in from the northwest. That front moves in here on Monday with more showers and storms around…
That’s also a setup that can put down some very heavy rains in our part of the world… Again.
The air coming in behind that is awesome and is straight out of September…
Highs are going to struggle to get out of the 70s for Tuesday and Wednesday as lows drop into the 50s. It was delayed by Barry, but it will not be denied. 🙂
Have a great Friday and take care.
Well, hurry up and get here!
So if the mesonet sites says it didn’t happen I guess it didn’t.? I know it hit 92 in my backyard yesterday and heat index was 100+ for several hrs.
I guess what CB is saying while it was hot it wasn’t Excessive Heat Warning criteria.
It was 87 degrees for a high yesterday here in my county of Taylor, but the dew point was in the mid- 70’s. Chris, it was miserable for me as I am elderly and I can’t take the heat as well as others that are much younger. And on top of the EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING issued we had a POWER FAILURE for three hours. They issued the EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING for the elderly and also people with respiratory problems and other health problems that could be LIFE THREATENING. In my opinion they were correct in the decision to issue the EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING for our area.
As far as the big change in the temperatures to the more ” September like” it is still a weather model forecast. They are however forecasting highs in the low eighties and low temperatures in the upper 50’s for my area of central Kentucky next week. I hope and pray this will happen, but at this time I’m not in agreement. As far as severe weather to occur, the jet stream would have to make a dramatic change to the south with a strong ridge to our west. All this to happen within three days ? All of the above is in my opinion.
Sorry, Chris and everyone for the above rants, but this is how I really feel. Make it a great day and best wishes for a pleasant evening.
So is this where I should talk about —–
…how it seems folks are far more sensitive to the heat now then they were in my youth (70s and 80s)? For many years we lived in KY and Nebraska (hot summers) with no air conditioning. Sure it was hot – but we just got on with it. We still played outside; we just sweated. What we didn’t have (or I had never heard of it) was the ‘heat index”, “excessive heat warnings” or “cooling centers”.
Or maybe it isn’t…
By the way, I’m off for a hike in the Red River Gorge tomorrow.
Tell that to over 700 people that died in Chicago in 1995 due to the heat. Your comment is completely insensitive
Perhaps – but do you not think that we are in a period of over hyping everything that is slightly out of our perceived norm? (Fishing for ratings or click or likes…..)
Often stats like that are for deaths that occurred during a “heat wave”, “cold snap”, “draught” or “rainy period”…. and don’t factor out the unfortunate number of deaths that were likely to occur anyway during that same period on the average year….
More people die of heat related illnesses than any other weather related events. Don’t get me started on the whole hyping thing especially here in the winter months.
People seem to forget that a lot of the death has to do with humidity levels. That has a huge effect. Hard to cool like that.
I remember when I was younger in the 80s-90s they would have us avoid hot areas were there was no shade and stuff. I also remember my neighbor actually having heat exhausting to a very dangerous point and they had to rush him to the hospital. And he was in good shape and exercised regularly.
We did not have AC and a lot of the neighbors did not. And us young ones would play outside but we would be in the pool or things like that. Had a friend get real sick because of playing at the park during peak day and got too hot.
What is amazing about this is that the humidity has been so high. I know they have listed it in the 70% plus often during the day for my area. And my monitoring stuff shows that. Heat indexes are one thing. But very hard to sweat off heat at those levels. I was out working on my Jeep putting on a new starter. I was drenching in just a couple minutes and by the time I was done it was like I had been sprayed. And that day was 92 with a heat index of 100 supposedly. Just could not cool down outside.
I think a lot of time people do not realize the effects of this on the bodies ability to cool. I was in Arizona and it was a dry 100 degrees and it was bearable. Much more so compared to 90 and high humidity.
Well, I cant speak for what was a “hot” summer in Nebraska during the 70s and 80s, but I can speak for what was a hot summer in TN and KY during that time frame…..it was an extreme rarity that it ever reached 90 degrees during those years and hot was considered 85. Now, it is considered normal to have 15+ days of 90+ degree days. So, people are more sensitive… because it is hotter now than it was then.
I worked outside during my high school years every summer. So out of curiosity, I checked a the same week we’re in currently, only in 1980.
Beginning on July 12, 1980, according to Farmer’s Almanac history, here are the temps:
95. 96, 92, 96, 99, 100, 91, 99, 99, 98, 93.
Funny, eleven 90 plus degree days in one stretch. Your post is completely false. If a record is broken, it’s usually from 1936.
That’s the type of summers I remember. I just think we are far more sensitive now than we were were 20 or more years ago. We also have a 24 hour news cycle and the constant presence of web based media demanding “eyes on”. That leads to the over hype I see of heat, cold, wet, wind and dry in the media.
You heard it here first: Heat waves will be named soon. “Heat wave Charlie claims 11 more lives in the midwest this weekend…” (Meaning 11 people died while it was hot.)
what i am getting ready to type, a lot of people will probably disagree…..but chris bailey is all the time bashing the nws for not getting the word out and get peoples attention……maybe this is their way of getting our attention…….you win a few and lose a few but the nws can’t seem to win any with mr. bailey….with all due respect……what is the difference between 100 and 105……it is still hot especially if working outside any time at all…….just like in the winter whether it is 0 or -5 or plus 5…..it is still cold.
No arguments from me I agree with you.
Shut up
And once again you have Hamlin comments if he doesn’t like or agree he says shut up. lol
False take.
Denial
The troll is strong with this one (as usual)…
Amen!!!
Chris, any idea why NWS appears to be lowering the bar for heat warnings/advisories? Is it just one or two people in a regional office who are taking it upon themselves to do this or is it nationwide?
Can’t wait for next weeks weather! I’ll be riding the bike!!
I’m sure people will say something is wrong with the sensors on the Mesonet site today, because I’m seeing several 100+ degrees heat index, including eastern KY. The crux of the heat was to be today and tomorrow. With dew points solidly in the 75 to 80 range, heat index is closing in on advisory status, and it’s just after the noon hour.
Okay, I know it is heating up both outside and in our comment section here today but let us all CHILL OUT a little:) I mean before long, we will all be griping about the cold and snow or LACK THEREOF! We all need to respect each other and enjoy summer before this season is gone
Actually, my specific comment was directed at Mr. Bailey himself. I’m a long time reader and commenter, and CB knows I respect his work and enthusiasm and dedication to us weather weenies, but this is a public forum with wide readership. Hopefully, this fixation on terminology does not deter ones from taking the heat seriously. More should have been said about the basics, stay hydrated, keep an eye on pets, the elderly. Hey, if an exaggerated definition of this kind of heat gets people to take it more seriously, I’m all for it.
I know time has change, but when it comes to predicting the weather they just should have stay to the basic words like when I was growing up. it’s either going to be very hot or very cold not heat index or the wind chill terms they use now.
Bailey just tweeted the heat indexes. It is 94 at my place. As per weather.com it is reported at 94 with a feels like 105. I can believe it because the humidity is 80%. Yet every place close to my area on his tweet shows 98 or 99 heat index.
107 heat index where I’m at
According to the NWS we have actually started to drop some on the heat index. Down to 103.
I am not for sure there is anything “official” for Harlan data. TWC shows heat index of 100 for Harlan at the same time the tweet above shows only 93 for Harlan. I think Jackson goes by top of Pine Mt…lol. I am always a lot hotter than what the local news shows for Harlan in the valley but WHATEVER.
101’F heat index here today in my corner
Of SEKY.
I can’t wait for fall and high temps of 60’F
And lows in the 40’s.
Can’t get here fast enough.
Thank you for all you do, CB!
Your screen name is great – but I believe the 540 line is actually somewhere in the arctic circle about now.
I’m okay with the heat. Let summer be summer. I’m just glad it stayed dry today.
WPC has SE KY in a widespread 2 to 3 inches of rain late this weekend through Tuesday. We may get slammed good with excessive rain before that nice air moves in. A lot of rain can fall with a strong cold front running into dewpoints near 80 degrees. Yikes!