Turning Up the Heat
Good afternoon folks! No substantial change in the overall pattern will occur this weekend or next week and the only noticeable change are the warming temps as the valleys approach 90°F starting Tuesday, lingering well into late next week. Moisture levels will come and go but generally we'll have enough moisture in the air to fire up isolated to scattered thunderstorms as we go from Saturday into the middle of next week. The models show a decent chance for thunderstorms Monday, but nothing widespread at this time and certainly nothing to cancel or reschedule your outdoor plans. All in all, the weekend through at least Wednesday looks typical for early July, with Independence Day at this time looking normal (hot under sunny skies with pop up thunderstorms late in the day).
Saturday and Sunday will feature temps reaching the upper 60's - low 70's along the ridgelines, while the valleys return to the mid 80's Saturday, possibly reaching the upper 80's Sunday. There will be more sunshine than cloud cover both days and Sunday should edge out Saturday pertaining to shower coverage as moisture increases as the weekend moves along. Overnight lows will continue to settle into the mid 50's along the ridgelines, warming to the low - mid 60's across the valley floor; partly cloudy skies overhead each night.
Monday through Wednesday will be much of the same, with Monday offering slightly better thunderstorm coverage as a weak short wave passes overhead late in the day. Temps Monday reach the low 70's - upper 80's depending upon elevation, pushing to the low 90's by Wednesday afternoon and when factoring in the humidity levels, it will feel more like the mid 90's. With the sunshine and possible vacation time luring you outside for most of next week, we highly recommend drinking plenty of water to combat the high heat indices. Overnight lows will follow the same pattern, warming to the upper 50's - upper 60's by the middle of next week.
Our next discussion will come out Monday afternoon and we'll focus on Thursday (4th of July) through next weekend.