First Warning Forecast | Back Into The Heat
But It’ll Be Worse Thursday And Friday.
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) - Sunshine came with comfortable air this morning, but is quickly getting less so as temperatures go from those 60s to crossing the 80s before lunchtime. Highs yesterday ended up just shy of 90°, so we averted an official ‘heat wave’ only in the most technical sense. In that vein, today may well be the start of another heat-wave run. We are expected to stay rain-free on the day, though not for a lack of effort. As the extreme heat (100°-plus) resides just to our west, and comfortable air (mainly 70s) to our east, it sets up a zone of convergence between those two air masses in the middle, where we are. Clusters of thunderstorms will form in this environment, traveling down the edge of the high heat from north to south. We’ll be tracking these storms through the Great Lakes coming at us seemingly down I-77, however we have enough dry air overhead to fade them out before they reach us (though it gets close at our northern border). The humidity will be increasing though, so expect a muggier evening (but still nice enough) out at the Boyd County Fairgrounds. From the start of the day tomorrow, we’ll be on our toes for threats of both heat and storm.
There is an “Excessive Heat Watch” for much of the area due to anticipated high temperatures reaching the mid-90s combined with enough humidity to make it feel as hot as 110°. This all depends however, on where and when those storms hit. There’s a shot we can thread this needle perfectly and get storms to come through earlier in the day, seeing them cool the air down while also not being severe themselves. Folks who avoid the rain will swelter, make no mistake. Friday actually looks more concerning than Thursday at this point, as it currently looks like these prowling storm lines that drop in from the north hold off until later in the afternoon, allowing the heat to build un-checked into the mid-90s then permitting the approaching storms to use that overly abundant energy. Whatever happens, Thursday and Friday are occasions to be prepared on both accounts.
Storms help the heat finally break on Friday, but Saturday might well be a full-day of transition toward calmer and cooler weather we’ll enjoy in the days that follow. This means temperatures can still reach the 80s, and still have us tracking a few leftover showers and storms of the scattered variety. By Sunday and Monday of next week, we’ll be feeling the more comfortable lower/middle 80s in afternoon sunshine, and we should stay in that comparable comfort through at least midweek.
Copyright 2023 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
