Monday, May 23, 2011

1st heat wave; but what about holiday weekend?

Welcome to the first heat wave of the season.

Technically, a heat wave for our part of the country is three or more consecutive days of 90-degree weather, and we're likely to have four straight -- starting with Sunday's reading of 91 degrees in Charlotte. That was our first 90-degree day of the year.

But most people really are curious about the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, and the outlook is ... well, cloudy.

Pat Moore, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Greer, S.C., looked at the various computer models' forecasts for the weekend and said, "Confidence in the forecast falls off the cliff." In short, the computers don't agree.

The forecast for the next few days is quite confident.

High pressure is predicted to produce mostly sunny skies and daytime highs in the range of 92 or 93 degrees in the Charlotte area. Severe thunderstorms developed Sunday afternoon in the N.C. mountains and ripped across an area along and north of Interstate-40, and forecasters said they expect a few more storms today. But, they say, the storms are not expected to be as severe as those Sunday.

Any thunderstorms today are likely to remain well north of the immediate Charlotte area.

The hot and precipitation-free weather seems likely to end Thursday, when high pressure weakens over the region, allowing a frontal system to approach. And that's when the forecast gets murky.

Some of the computers predict fairly unsettled weather over the weekend. That could be bad news for fans planning to attend NASCAR races Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and it wouldn't be good for the Food Lion Speed Streets events in Charlotte's uptown. For that matter, storms would make a mess of many people's plans to spend the Memorial Day weekend in the mountains or at the beaches.

But other computer models have a less-pessimistic forecast.

Regardless, it seems safe to expect temperatures to be a bit cooler by later in the week, and thunderstorm chances figure to climb in the area.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Figures the weather would be trashy in this sorry state.

Anonymous said...

Wow, then why don't you leave?

Anonymous said...

Yeah.......why don't you take your sorry self and go back to whatever awesome state you came from????? In other words, don't let the door hit you on the way out douchebag!

Anonymous said...

Wonder if we'll see exaggerated temperatures this summer (i..e readings taken solely in the urban heat islands)to justify the "global warming" hysteria. Quite possible-you can trust little coming from climate and weather "scientists" these days

Anonymous said...

"Our State was a very, very very, fine State".....until yanks, illegals and many others came making this a "state" of ruin. Please go home!

Anonymous said...

All gold chain wearing, tacky dressing, rude ass yankees are welcome to take their ugly, harsh accents back to NY and NJ. Please do it soon.

Anonymous said...

Jeez, all these nastygrams attached to a story about the weather.

freddy said...

Anonymous 10:07: So, since you feel you can't trust science, which has accumulated mountains of data to back up claims of human induced global climate change, what are your qualifications to dispute it? Sorry, "Fan of FoxNews and AM radio conservative propagandists" doesn't quite carry the same weight.

Here's an idea: Maybe you need to stay off boards where grownups are trying to have a serious discussion.

Anonymous said...

So much hate for people from the North East!!! For the record, not all Spanish speaking people that move to NC are illegal immigrants. I can trash too......NC was nothing until educated transplants moved here.....

Anonymous said...

lol, funny how people tell the person to leave if they don't like the sorry State. I did leave :) and happier than i have ever been. We even have city government that is against crime, It is safe to go outside after dark, you can ride a bus in safety, the weather is beautiful :) and Our teachers are praised, not threatened to be laid off. Any city in the USA is better than Charlotte, NC

Anonymous said...

If you don't like northerners, why don't you go burn in hell. Jersey and NYC will alsways be better than this hellhole. You are know for big religion and religious theme parks that damned your reputation forever. You are hatemongers that are mostly illiterate and can't stand progressive change. We just laugh at you all and have pity on you. Stay down here in this heatwave of souther baptism if you choose. You are pathetic.

Anonymous said...

Oh yes, the pitiful southerners here in Charlotte. With your addiction to Ace & TJ and speed street trash, and shrine for Patty McCrory. You are a world class NOTHING. Thank God for Northerners. We are the only class you have.

aman2187 said...

yeah..that House Wives of NYC show just exudes "pure class"

Anonymous said...

Would the Observer ever consider discontinuing the comments section for the online edition? I know it is supposed to provide a sense of "community" to "discuss the issues", but this is a perfect example of what the comments degenerate into...a weather story and this is the discussion that results? The comments function only provides a forum for morons and idiots, almost inevitably ends up like the tripe above, and adds zero value to the online stories. I know the easy answer is to not read the comments section, but it's like a car crash you can't look away from! Please consider it Observer!

Anonymous said...

You taulkin 'bout me? I am from NJ. I am not rude. I dress well. I would rather live here because the weather is nicer, the taxes are lower and the cost of living is less. Hazy, hot and humid is normal everywhere on the East Coast May through August. Why does that mean the weather is trashy?

Anonymous said...

You're from Jersey? What exit? Truthfully the most obnoxious white trash people I've dealt with down here are my next door neighbors, who are from Jersey. Pit bull, son with out of wedlock daughter, fat ass ugly daughter and her biker boyfriend. Yeah, it's a real treat. Don't worry, all you "real southerners", I'm saving my money and hope to be out of here come next summer. Back to NY where we New Yorkers belong.