Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Mid-South forecast discussion for July 15

Not-so-good news and VERY good news in the Memphis area forecast. First, we have to get through the not-so-good... more heat and humidity are on tap for today with a southerly breeze and a fair amount of sunshine. Today will be the warmest day of the week with highs well into the 90s (mid 90s expected in the metro area) and dewpoints remaining in the 70s, providing a heat index between 100-105 degrees this afternoon. Exercise caution if you will be spending any time outdoors by staying hydrated and taking frequent breaks.

A cold front will be inching closer from the north so, when coupled with the heat and humidity, a stray shower or thunderstorm is not out of the question this afternoon. The front will hang up over the Mid-South Thursday and Friday providing for scattered showers and thunderstorms each day. Timing of impulses along the front is still not certain, but one of these could provide for a period of heavy rainfall at some point during that 36-hour period. The MWN forecast will be refined to increase rain chances as necessary once the picture gets a little clearer.

Now the very GOOD news... By Friday, an unseasonably strong trough at the upper levels will develop across the Mississippi Valley and stregthen heading into the weekend. The trough will force the cold front to move well to our south and usher in unseasonably COOL air for the weekend, along with lots of sunshine! With humidity plummeting, morning lows could conceivably drop into the upper 50s in outlying areas on Sunday and Monday mornings and high temps area-wide will only reach the 80s - perhaps even just the lower 80s! It will be a refreshing break for mid-July! Below normal temperatures look like they will stick around well into next week.

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