Thursday, June 25, 2015

South Heat Wave to Break With Arrival of Locally Heavy Storms

 
By , AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist
June 25,2015; 7:30PM,EDT
 
 
The brutal heat wave in the South is about to break down by way of thunderstorms at the end of the week, followed by a push of cooler, less humid air by early next week.
Weather Brief
While 90-degree heat is not uncommon in the South during June, the weather pattern this month has pushed temperatures to 5-10 degrees Fahrenheit above normal. The combination of sunshine, heat, humidity and little wind has resulted in multiple days of high temperatures ranging from the middle 90s to near 100 F and AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures ranging from 100-120 F.

Number of Days With 90 Degrees Fahrenheit or Above in June: Actual Versus Average

City
Actual (Through June 25)
Average (All of June)
Columbia, S.C.
19
15
Charlotte, N.C.
17
8
Augusta, Ga.
18
16
Birmingham, Ala.
16
10
Richmond, Va.
13
9
Gainesville, Fla.
20
17
According to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski, "After an unseasonably hot stretch of weather in June, where Charlotte, North Carolina, hit 100 F at least four times and Columbia, South Carolina, hit triple digits five times, relief is finally on the way this weekend."
Ahead of a front, an uptick in showers and thunderstorms is in store into Saturday evening. There is the potential for 0.50 to 1.50 inches of rain into the first part of the weekend with a few locations picking up a bit more.

In isolated cases, there can be enough rain falling in a short period of time to cause flash and urban flooding. As is often the case with storms in the South during the summertime, a few communities can be hit by strong, gusty winds in addition to a torrential downpour.

There has been rain during the past couple of weeks in the region, but that rainfall has been spotty. Since June 9, Charlotte has only received 0.01 of an inch of rain. Since June 10, 0.11 of an inch of rain has fallen on Huntsville, Alabama.
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A rainstorm in the Northeast this weekend will help funnel in cooler air, by way of a strong frontal passage.
"In the wake of the cool front on Sunday, it dries out and highs will be in the 80s in many areas with much less humidity making for a very comfortable end to the weekend," Pydynowski said.

Temperatures will drop slightly below average for a couple of days.
During the middle and latter part of next week, temperatures will recover to slightly above average, but there will be rounds of storms and brief cooldowns that can break the heat for a day or so here and there.

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