WEATHER BLOG: The Heat Remains...For Now
The sky early Friday morning is clear to partly cloudy, and we've had a very warm night, with most lows in the mid and upper 70s. The official high temperature at BWI Thursday was 99, but the Inner Harbor (Maryland Science Center) was 103.
Friday, expect a light wind out of the north to occur for a while as a high pressure system continues to allow some dry air to filter down from eastern Canada and northern New England. But, as the afternoon hours wear on, that wind will become northwesterly. Most temperatures will be near or above 100 in and around Baltimore City Friday afternoon, and even the Eastern Shore will be in the mid 90s. There will be uptick in the moisture flowing Friday night and Saturday.
Some of the hot air associated with a very oppressive heat wave now gripping the Midwest will start to shift eastward Saturday. Therefore, it could be the hottest day of the season thus far for the mid-Atlantic region as a whole. And with dewpoint temperatures expected to return to the upper 60s and lower 70s, it will "Feel Like" it's around 110 in some of the hottest spots, but no higher than the 90s at the beaches.
The global models are still indicating that our next cool front is going to be pressing down from the north late Saturday, Saturday night and Sunday. But, the most recent solutions are slowing it down by about 12 hours -- so we certainly can envision how this feature will trigger a few showers and strong thunderstorms not only late Saturday, but also on Sunday as well. Although the high heat and the slightest of "triggers" can cause strong thunderstorms to break out virtually anywhere in the region late Saturday, those which will be aligned with (or in closest proximity to) the front will probably occur in southern New England late Saturday, and then across the Greater Baltimore Area on Sunday.
Even though there will be some clouds around as well as sunshine, Sunday is shaping up to be a hot and humid day with temperatures in the upper 90s. But obviously, with the possibility of a few thunderstorms, the heat will not be as extreme as Saturday's.
