A drop in humidity behind a Monday morning cold front

A "cold" front is on the doorstep of Mecklenburg county as this blog entry is being composed. As it passes through this Monday morning winds will swap around out of the west and then the northwest. That wind direction signifies drier air with a drop in dew points. 

Those dew points will fall all day, making for an "ahhhh" kind of feeling with the drier air pushing out the wet-as-a-dishrag conditions. Temperatures which began the day in the mid-70s will still climb to the low 90s, but the lower humidity will make Monday feel much more comfortable than this past weekend. By sunset today at 8:36 p.m. local thermometers will register readings in the upper 70s, and those will drop to the mid-60s by dawn Tuesday.

Tomorrow will again be hot with afternoon highs in the low 90s, but humidity levels will still be bearable. However, the respite in the hot sticky weather will be brief. By Wednesday rising temperatures and dew points look to make "Hump Day" the most uncomfortable day of the work week ahead of the next cold front.

Meanwhile, this is Lightning Safety Awareness Week across the country. This graphic illustrates the outdoor activities during which folks have been struck by lightning:

Note the statement that lightning can strike up to 10 miles away from the storm. It doesn't have to be raining - or even cloudy overhead! - for a bolt to leap from a nearby storm and strike the ground. If thunder is audible or lightning is visible it's time to take shelter in a sturdy building or a vehicle with a hard top!