Good Sunday, folks. If our weather were like twitter… hot and humid would both be trending this upcoming week. We’re heading into a pattern that may make this week the hottest of the entire summer. That’s not saying a whole lot considering how tame things have been to date. Still… get set to sweat.
Our upper level low has worked to the west and has unleashed the increase in tropical humidity. Temps today will hit the mid and upper 80s for many with a mix of sun and clouds. A scattered shower or thunderstorm will be possible.
Temps for the week ahead will hit the upper 80s to low 90s each day. Throw in the humidity levels and the feels like temp can head toward 100 on any given day. A daily threat for a shower or storm will be with us. This pattern is not going to hang out long and that shows up well on the European Model..
The big heat ridge will give way to a deepening trough across the eastern part of the country and it may get bumpy in between. Showers and storms may become widespread for the upcoming weekend..
Clusters of northwest to southeast moving storms may become big wind makers across the Ohio Valley. That’s also a setup to give us additional soaking rains.
That storm train looks to roll on over the next few weeks…
It never ends!
Have a great Sunday and take care.
As long as “big winds” don’t mean tornadoes, we’ll be okay. Thanks for the updates, Mr. Bailey.
The Storm Prediction Center is showing only about a two percent chance of a twister or two in far western KY and much of TN for today.
This time of year, stronger tornadoes tend to stay closer to the Great Lakes and the northern plains. IIRC, neither KY nor TN have had a single tornado fatality during July, at least in recorded history – and no recorded July twisters stronger than F2/EF2.
Our summers of course can have flooding, severe straight-line winds (per the unfortunate fatality in Louisville a few days ago), lots of dangerous lightning, heat/humidity, etc. But at least spring-like tornadoes are virtually unheard of here.
Of course I mean spring-like tornadoes are virtually unheard of here during the summer.
But there is always the equally terrifying and destructive derecho! Hope nothing like that heads our way.
Yea, a derecho in Michigan a few years ago had winds clocked by an anemometer at 129 mph. To be sure, an EF5 twister is 200+ mph which may be much more intense in spots but a derecho covers a much wider area and can travel hundreds of miles.
Hurricane Andrew in 1992 had a gust up to 168mph. At that point, the anemometer failed and was destroyed, so the winds could have been even worse.
Heat index in east Frankfort by the lake is already 97, I will probably have some 105 heat index temps before the week is over, be nice AC unit 😉
The KY Mesonet is showing a 74 degree dewpoint temperature in northeastern Kentucky. We of course have not seen much of this for the Summer of 2013.
A few stronger t-storms now near Mayfield KY and Jackson TN, and weaker storms elsewhere. Guess it’s just as well I’m stuck in the office for an unusual Sunday work day (so I can be off for the latter part of the coming work week for a family reunion in the Cleveland TN area).
I keep reading about some of you having only turned your AC on for the first time this year just recently……….REALLY? I mean…..Even though it’s not been a scorcher, I don’t see how you could stand it. For example: My house isn’t shaded very well, and even if it’s in the mid 70s outside, the temp inside will climb to 80 if it’s a sunny day……..Even with the windows open….After reading some of you saying you have just recently turned your AC on, I almost feel like an “AC ABUSER”, since I’ve been using mine since APRIL!
HA! I was raised in house with no AC until I was a teenager. This was just outside Houston, Texas. It was close to 90 degrees in my room during the summer. I was the unlucky person in the room on the southwest side of the house and no shade anywhere.
I turn on the AC at the first opportunity. I will happily pay for it. 🙂
My central unit is 25 years old. Despite being a warhorse, it uses a ton of electric, so I put off using it as long as I can. Last year it got ridiculously hot right away, so that wasn’t a very long time until I fired it up. I use strategically placed fans in windows to draw air in, through, and out of the house (which is brick,btw) to minimize the heat. If has been very uncomfortable sometimes at night but we’ve gotten through it. For those without AC, invest in 100% bamboo sheets, they are worth every penny for helping with the heat.
However, this stretch of weather we have coming up doesn’t look tolerable, so I crunched some numbers and found that a couple of small window AC units and fans will get the job done and not raise the electric use substantially. I am putting those in today.
If my theory is wrong, I’ll have been murdered by the spouse and pets in the next 24 hours, so I’m hoping for success. 😉
Only used my AC a few times this summer. Then again, unlike many here on this blog I can endure the heat/humidity a little better than the cold.
Also, I’m presently in a downstairs apartment which is cooler during the summer (although I need more winter heat). I lived in a top floor apartment a few years ago in Evansville Indiana where the heating/cooling situation was reversed.
One small price of being in my ground floor place is that the way my ceiling creaks and groans with the upstairs neighbors walking about, even their medium size dog might as well be an elephant. But better this than being on a top floor during a tornado. While in Evansville, I had contingency plans (never enacted on) in case of a twister to shelter in an adjacent lobby or if I had time I’d go to a nearby restaurant with it’s walk-in coolers.
Thanks Chris.
My AC unit seems to run more when it’s humid outside versus like last year when it was over 100 degrees several times, my bill this month was just as high as last years bill??
It is all about the heat index. I bet those days that hit 103-105 last summer had a heat index about the same as our 90 degree days this summer.
My bill that I just got was JUST as high as last years. I agree it runs more when it’s humid…. I only keep my house temp at 67 in the winter because I much prefer being cold to hot……..so I feel like in the summer, after being used to 67 degree temps, that if my AC isn’t on at least 72, It’s too warm inside for me…..
I think my bill last month was 135 dollars……….
Another ODD thing……..The ceiling fan in the living room……..set in the correct rotation for summer – when it’s ON, the temp in the living room actually goes UP! It’s weird……The ceiling fan in the bedroom doesn’t do this. Not sure what that’s about but I don’t run the ceiling fan in the living room because of that. It’s as if the fan in the living room blows the conditioned air away from the living room to the opposite side of the house.
MarkLex, I think my Mom’s situation somewhat mirrors yours based on what you described. She has to keep her AC running and the thermostat set fairly cool to keep things comfortable in her house. She’s elderly so that is a safe move, IMO. Unfortunately she had a new HVAC system installed this spring (the old one lasted 27 years) and I think the new one uses MORE electricity than the previous one did.