Tuesday, May 12, 2015

a break from the heat... (am.12.may.15)>

It's cloudy and 57.7F (14.3C) at sunrise this morning.  We had a respectable period of thundershowers overnight -- mainly concentrated between about 2:00 and 5:15am -- which delivered 0.72" (1.8cm) of rain here in the upper part of town.  The low temperature of 54.5F (12.5C) occurred during that thundershower, which was the coolest temp I've recorded since the morning of the 1st day of this month.

The rain isn't so bad... after our long streak of dry, dusty and very warm weather the last eight or nine days.  That ridge of high pressure which kept our air mass stagnant for such a long time has been gradually breaking down the last few days, and is now being replaced by a rippling flow of upper-level disturbances  coming in from the west.  Much cooler air aloft is accompanying this change, along with a batch of moisture courtesy of the Arabian Sea.  These conditions will continue to converge across northern India between now and Thursday, keeping us susceptible to occasional period of showers and thunderstorms.  It's not going to rain continuously, by any means, and we should even see some sun from time to time, but be aware of the better potential for rain, nonetheless.  Our temperatures have now dropped below normal for this stage of May, and will likely remain there until the very end of the week.

The next pattern shift will come in the form of a brand new ridge of high pressure building in over the weekend.  The atmosphere should stabilize again, starting on Friday, with a dramatic return to summertime temperatures by Sunday into Monday.  So... enjoy this break in the heat while it lasts.

THE 7-DAY OUTLOOK can be found on the tab above.