There are storms firing up as I write this. Some over central Maine have been severe as they press towards the southern edge of the mid-coast.
I expect there to be thunderstorm in some locations throughout the rest of the afternoon and evening before about 8 p.m. Some of the storms could contain frequent lightning and even hail. Of course, with the humidity so high, torrential downpours are also likely to be a part of these storms.
In addition to the scattering of storms, not much of breeze today would be another description of the afternoon weather. With quite a bit of humidity in the air, the lack of air movement makes it feel even warmer. We of course haven’t had a lot of hot and humid days this summer and with meteorological summer two-thirds over on Friday, the opportunities for long periods of heat are going to wane.
The closing days of July will be typically warm. While the average temperature today is in the upper 70s to lower 80s, we will see readings slightly higher. This is still within the typical range for this time of year, although it is at the higher end. If you review all the July 28ths since the late 1800s, you will find 6% of them have recorded a reading of 90 degrees or higher. We won’t get to that level of heat today, but it will turn hotter tomorrow when upper 80s and even a small area of lower 90s are likely.
There is not just one reason for the cooler than typical summer we have seen so far. It’s likely a combination of El Nino, cooler North Atlantic Ocean water and a warmer pool of water off the coast of the northwest coast of the United States. Each of these variables has an impact on the global weather pattern and how this plays out here in New England are quite different than other parts of the country.
Wednesday looks like one of the hotter days of the summer with highs around 90 degrees inland, cooler along the coast and abundant sunshine. I’ll remove the chance of storms tomorrow from the forecast. If you want to head to the beach, it should be nearly ideal day. Thursday is similar with just a slight risk of one of those pop-up storms. Coastal areas will see a sea breeze and keep reading in the upper 70s, but it remains hot over interior York and Cumberland Counties.
Drier, but still warm air returns for Friday with nearly 100 percent of the possible sunshine. The weekend is presently looking really wonderful with warm temperatures and moderate levels of humidity.
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