Yuck! Today - Sunday - is featuring conditions that are nothing short of nasty. "Low" temperatures this morning around Mecklenburg county were in the upper 70s. This is not only a sign of high dew points, it's also dangerous for people and animals who can't cool off much at night.
This abundance of heat and humidity also provides fuel for storms. With another "cold" front crossing the mountains today the county is under a Slight Risk - level 2 of 5 - for severe storms this afternoon and evening. The main threat will be a chance of damaging straight-line winds accompanied by heavy downpours and always dangerous lightning. Although there could be stray showers near the lunch hour the timing for Sunday's storms will be late afternoon into the evening hours.
The combination of afternoon temperatures topping out in the mid-90s with the high dew points will result in heat indices over 100 degrees. A Heat Advisory has been issued by the National Weather Service for the hours of 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. today. It won't be pleasant outdoors!
The "cold" front will push through during the wee hours of Monday morning, bringing drier and somewhat cooler air behind it. The first couple days of the work week thus look more comfortable than today. with afternoon highs expected to be in the low to mid-80s with less sticky humidity. But by Wednesday the heat and humidity will be on the upswing. Both Thursday - the 4th of July - and Friday look to make a run at triple digit temperatures.
Meanwhile the dryness continues to worsen here in the Old Dominion. Here's the latest Drought Monitor graphic (from last week):
There is some hope on the horizon. Precipitation totals look likely to increase over the next week or two. Fingers crossed!
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