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Category: Summer
Permanent link to this article: https://indywx.com/video-couple-storms-around-today-watching-albertos-remnants-next-week/
May 24
Looking Over The New JMA Weeklies…
The JMA Weeklies update every Thursday morning and this gives us another tool to look at when developing the forecast over the upcoming 3-4 weeks. Here are some highlights from the most recent update:
Week 1
The big story in Week 1 is the surge of tropical moisture with the area of disturbed weather in the GOM (Gulf of Mexico). Unfortunately, it’s not until possibly Week 2 that remnant tropical moisture may interact with an approaching cold front to provide better rain chances here. The big story for the balance of the upcoming Week 1 period, locally, will be the heat. An unseasonably warm stretch will continue through the Memorial Day weekend and on into the middle of next week.
Week 2
The model shows a bit of a transition in the pattern with the core of the heat shifting west during the Week 2 period. With this, there are some hints that the pattern will turn increasingly wet and stormy, locally, including a backing off of the extreme 90° heat.
Weeks 3-4
An intriguing “ring of fire” pattern develops in the Weeks 3-4 time frame. If correct, this would result in a more active pattern across the Mid West with a busy northwest flow pattern emerging. Storm complexes are notorious for tracking in a northwest to southeast fashion around the hot dome. Sure enough, the model is going with a wetter than normal pattern here. It’s hard to disagree with that given the look at 500mb.
Permanent link to this article: https://indywx.com/looking-over-the-new-jma-weeklies/
May 22
The Heat (And Humidity) Is On This Indy 500; Memorial Day Weekend…
As we grow closer to the big Indy 500 and Memorial Day weekend, forecast guidance continues to back away from what at one point looked like a rather unsettled weekend. Instead, it appears as if heat and humidity will grab the headlines. While we can’t rule out an isolated to widely scattered thunderstorm (best chances of that coming Sunday and Monday), most will remain rain and storm free this weekend. Even if you’re one of the “lucky ones” to get under a storm, it’ll pass quickly and sunshine will return.
While “tropical mischief” approaches the central Gulf Coast this weekend, an upper level ridge will dominate our weather. This supports the drier trend the models are now going to and also will help boost temperatures. We forecast highs at or around the 90° mark Saturday through Memorial Day- well above the average high of 78°.
The other big story, especially for those planning to attend the race, will be increasing humidity over the weekend. Forecast dew points will approach and exceed the 70° mark Sunday afternoon, providing a very tropical feel to the air.
Permanent link to this article: https://indywx.com/the-heat-and-humidity-is-on-this-indy-500-memorial-day-weekend/
May 21
Storms Rumble In This Evening; Warm Open To Meteorological Summer…
A stalled frontal boundary remains draped across the Ohio Valley this morning. We note ongoing showers across northern Indiana and Illinois, along with considerable cloudiness in association with the front. Also of interest is the disturbed weather off the FL peninsula this morning. Models differ on the evolution of things, but both the GFS and European model suggest we may have a tropical depression or weak tropical storm on our hands by the Memorial Day weekend. Is it more of a threat to the central Gulf Coast region, such as the European implies, or more of a Carolina event? It’s simply too early to know, but it’ll be fun to watch things play out this week.
Back here on the home front, a quiet start to our Monday will turn stormy at times this evening as the front nears. We think best coverage of showers and thunderstorms will come between 5p and 10p. There will be some winners and losers when it comes to rainfall amounts by midnight. Some can expect over an inch in the stronger storms while others may only see a tenth of an inch, or so. Something that must be taken into forecasts moving forward is the tendency of most model data (high resolution and global data alike) to “over forecast” rainfall amounts as of late. Also of note is for the potential of a couple of strong to severe storms to develop this evening. We always have to be wary of fronts draped across central Indiana as they’ve been known to help tornadic activity spin up. We’ve lost count of how many slight risk days with warm fronts nearby that turn busy… If you’re planning to be outdoors this evening, please have a means of receiving the latest watches and potential warnings that may be issued.
High pressure will build in for the midweek period and supply plentiful sunshine along with continued warmer than average conditions. Overnight lows will fall into the upper 50s (couple of degrees above average) with the drier air mass in place, but afternoon highs will continue to climb into the lower and middle 80s (around 10 degrees above average).
Good news this morning for all of the Race Day and Memorial Day weekend activities is that forecast models are backing off (seeing a common theme?) on the magnitude and overall coverage of showers and thunderstorms associated with our next system. While we’ll maintain widely scattered thunderstorms in our Saturday-Monday forecast, much more of the time period will be free of any rain and storm activity.
Longer term, thoughts are shifting towards the open to meteorological summer (where is this year going?!). The GFS ensemble suggests the overall warm pattern remains intact as we open a new season with widespread warmth expected through the first few days of the June.
Permanent link to this article: https://indywx.com/storms-rumble-in-this-evening-warm-open-to-meteorological-summer/
May 20
Unsettled Open To The Week And Looking Towards Next Weekend…
As we type this Sunday evening a few strong storms have developed across east-central Indiana. If your travels take you east this evening, a couple of these storms have been producing large hail and strong winds.
Otherwise, a stalled frontal boundary remains draped across the Ohio Valley and will serve as the focal point for additional shower and thunderstorm development through the early stages of the week. Rainfall coverage will likely be most widespread Monday, and come in a couple waves: Monday morning into early afternoon and again Monday evening.
By the time all is said and done late Monday night and early Tuesday, expect widespread rainfall totals between 0.50″ and 1″ with locally heavier amounts where the stronger storms track.
High pressure will build into the region through the midweek stretch and result in increasingly sunny and pleasant conditions. With a drier air mass in place, overnight lows will fall into the 50s through the midweek period.
Our attention will then shift to the threat of active times for the Memorial Day weekend, including the 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500. After a mostly dry Friday, shower and thunderstorm chances will be on the increase Friday night through the weekend, continuing into early Monday as of now. While it won’t rain the entire time, it might be a good idea to have a “plan B” in mind at times for the busy upcoming weekend. Models like the idea of a rather significant, albeit likely brief, cool down to close the month…
Permanent link to this article: https://indywx.com/unsettled-open-to-the-week-and-looking-towards-next-weekend/