Summer Not Quitting
The weather apparently is not impressed with the idea of Labor Day being the traditional end of Summer.
Heat Advisories have once again become necessary for most of the Finger Lakes in anticipation of a hazardous combination of high temperatures and oppressive humidity.
Temperatures are starting out in the 70s early this morning. Unlike the last few days, there is more in the way of sunshine this morning, which will help shoot temperatures upwards in a hurry.
By noon, mid and upper 80s will already be widespread with heat indices rising into the mid 90s.
The hottest areas will see temperatures reach a high in the low 90s today with many areas in the upper 80s. Dewpoints will be in the low and mid 70s, pushing the heat index into the upper 90s.
All of this heat and humidity will cause a very unstable atmosphere. A small disturbance will clip the region later this afternoon, resulting in showers and thunderstorms across the region.
These thunderstorms should begin to pop up by 2 or 3 pm near the shores of the Great Lakes but will spread inland through the late afternoon. Thunderstorms may end up much more widespread than in recent days with most areas seeing a shot at some rain.
The atmosphere is not favorable for severe weather, but dangerous, frequent lightning and a couple stronger wind gusts will be possible. Heavy rain will also fall, but should not cause flash flooding. Storms will end this evening.
Tuesday looks quiet and a bit cooler behind the disturbance. Look for highs in the low and mid 80s. It will remain quite muggy, though.
Heat on par with today will return for Wednesday, just without the afternoon storms to interrupt the heating. More heat advisories will probably be needed.
Warm to very warm conditions seem likely to continue at least into the middle of September, if not all month.
Tropics Suddenly Active
We are nearing the mid-point and peak of the Atlantic Hurricane Season. So far, this year has been relatively quiet, though a number of out-at-sea storms have come and gone with little fanfare.
However, there are now two systems to watch, one of which will almost certainly make landfall in the United States.
That system is currently a Tropical Depression, the lowest rating of organized tropical systems. It is located just south of Miami and will travel into the Gulf of Mexico before heading towards New Orleans. Currently, it is projected to remain a tropical storm and will be given the name Gordon once it reaches Tropical Storm strength.
Gordon will actually miss the warmest waters in the Gulf of Mexico, which should reduce the chances of the explosive development that can sometimes occur in the Gulf. Gordon should reach the New Orleans area Tuesday night.
Much further from home is Tropical Storm Florence. Florence developed over the weekend and has only traveled about one-third of the way across the Atlantic so far. With so much distance between Florence and the United States, it is way too early to speculate much on whether or not this system will make it this far west.
A large area of high pressure is expected to build across the Northern Atlantic, though, which will likely block Florence from turning towards the north. If this high holds long enough, there could be some threat to the East Coast in the 10-14 day range. Don’t be surprised if you start seeing hype about Florence soon.
Tropical storm paths are immensely difficult to predict, especially on a scale of 5, 10 or even 15 days. This will be a system to watch, but we are nearly two weeks away from any real concerns.
Local Facebook Groups
Are you in Facebook Groups focused on your town and community?
Community Facebook Groups have become a great resource for locals to share information with their friends and neighbors.
Would you please consider sharing Finger Lakes Weather in one or more of your local groups? Doing so is easy!
Just click the Facebook button below, then hit the triangle next to the words ‘Share on Your Timeline’. Select the option to ‘Share in a Group’, type in the name of the group, then hit Post to Facebook!
Your help in spreading the word about Finger Lakes Weather is greatly appreciated and allows me to spend my time and money improving Finger Lakes Weather instead of advertising it. Thank you!
