Warm & Windy Wednesday, Turning Colder Thursday.

For the third straight morning, we have either set or tied a record warm morning low temperature. The map on the right shows the morning lows to start the day; keep in mind those numbers are close to what our normal daytime highs should be for this time of year. We will be close to doing the same thing to start the day on Wednesday as morning temperatures will be in the upper 60s to near 70 once again.

Wednesday should be even warmer during the day though as more sunshine is expected for much of the day and the early morning stratus deck should be burning off rather quickly. That will result in daytime highs reaching the upper 80s and some locations may well make it into the low 90s which will be in record territory as well. Keep in mind our normal daytime high at this time of year is around the 70 degree mark.

Gusty southerly winds of 15-25 mph or more are also keeping abundant low level moisture in place so the humidity levels are high enough that despite the warmth and the winds, it does mitigate the fire danger somewhat. Look for the relative humidity to be dropping into the 40% range during the heat of the day.

This will all be changing on Thursday as a strong cold front will be moving through the state. The latest and greatest data has come around to a faster, rather than a slower solution which will have quite an impact on temperatures. Strong southerly winds in advance of the front will keep us in the 60s or low 70s for Wednesday night and Thursday morning; then the front will be arriving during the morning and early afternoon hours as it moves rapidly from the NW to the SE across the state. As the winds shift to the north, they will be quite strong and gusty and temperatures will be quickly falling into the 50s during the afternoon. There will also be a chance of showers/storms with the front, some of which may be locally quite strong.

Friday is looking a little more promising now in the sense that drier air will be quickly moving in behind the front so any lingering showers should be ending for the more SE counties that morning followed by clearing skies. It will still be much colder though along with a gusty northerly wind of 15-25 mph or more keeping daytime temperatures in the 50s. That will be about 30 degrees or so below what we are having today and tomorrow.

The weekend will then be quite cool with the potential for a freeze/frost during the early morning hours, particularly on Sunday morning when the winds will be lightest. That will be followed by a gradual warm-up for early next week as the winds eventually shift back around to a more S/SE direction.

So, in the meantime, stay tuned and check back for updates.

Dick Faurot