Stickiness and storms will greet the new month

July is going out with a nod to more summertime heat and humidity. A high pressure system which built the heat across the Plains states is extending its influence into Virginia. As a result Mecklenburg county will feel the difference today - Wednesday - as temperatures soar into the mid-90s while dew points hang in the sticky 70s. That combination will help the heat index climb into the triple digits this afternoon.

Skies will be sunny locally today and tonight with light southwesterly winds. Thursday will then dawn with temperatures in the low 70s. Local thermometer readings will again top out in the mid-90s tomorrow afternoon along with continued sticky humidity and heat indices over 100 degrees. There is a chance of showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening hours.

This Storm Prediction Center graphic shows Virginia under a Marginal Risk (level 1 of 5) for severe weather on Thursday:

Note the orientation of that severe risk path. This is typical at this point in the summer as a "Ring of Fire" pattern sets up. With high pressure parked over the southern Plains states storm clusters can build along the northern edge of that feature in the upper Midwest. Those clusters (known as Mesoscale Convective Systems) ride quickly along the jet stream, diving southeast and usually weakening during the overnight hours.

One such cluster is lurking over Iowa and Illinois as this is being written, but that one won't affect today's weather in Mecklenburg. Will another one build tonight and reach the local area on Thursday? Time will tell.