Monday, April 29, 2019

Can You Feel It Yet?

I was up just after sunrise and took my first cup of coffee outside to feel that it still felt fine, not cool anymore, but not humid either.   However, I've noticed this afternoon the dew point temperature ( a measure of the moisture in the air) has slowly approached 70 degrees.   Once that happens, you'll notice how uncomfortable it'll feel to be outdoors, especially as the highs get near and above 90.   To paraphrase James Carville...IT'S THE HUMIDITY STUPID!     Summer in the South is not for Sissie's, (Betty Davis) or something like that.

The thinking for the next 5-7 days hasn't changed as moisture will continue to increase daily with some showers possible by late Thursday, but more likely for Friday into Sunday.  A slow moving cold front will try to push past us bringing back some drier air for next week.   The real battle for the next 1-2 days will be over the central plains up into the Ohio Valley where a cold front will stall allowing for significant (4-6"+) rainfall to soak areas that have been drenched for the past several months.   I remember my 1st "100 year flood" here on May 3rd back in 1978.  It was one of those slow moving fronts that took forever to push through Louisiana.   I had never seen that type of rain intensity before.  It certainly has happened many times (even worse) since as a warmer atmosphere can hold more water vapor.   We'll need to watch out this final Jazz Fest weekend that no such "training effect" develops over us.    Stay tuned!

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