Burned...

I got burned on Saturday. I normally don't have that problem- but cutting the grass in the morning stung me more than that hornet's nest I disturbed last month.
We got burned this weekend- but have not set a record yet:
Saturday's 95F missed the record of 96F
Sunday's 93F missed the record of 97F
Today's record is 98F set back in 1933. That is a 75 year old mark- and again proving that there was a hot period in that decade that still holds on the books. Imagine dealing with that heat and not having air conditioning. I do want to thank John who commented over the weekend about my call from May 12th- that we were due for a heat wave to balance out the cool spring. I'm glad I have some loyal readers who can vouch for me....
Good Morning America- to no surprise -lead this morning's show with the weather. Also, to no surprise- they had a sound bite of someone blaming global warming for this heat wave. How does that theory explain last month's chill? While we discuss breaking long standing records, what is their explanation for records back in the 1920s and 30s? Seriously! It gets hot in June and July. How irresponsible to use every hot stretch for this agenda. This type of reporting is not a good sample of the meteorological community, and is a disservice to the public. If they want to speculate on the reason for this heat wave ( the big ridge and trough in the jet stream), then get someone with another opinion. There are plenty besides me...
For comparison, check out this Baltimore historic heat wave from 83 years ago. Below I have posted the Live Active Temps and Heat Index Maps...

A Delay for a Day... Then Bring On The Heat!

Wednesday Storm Update:
NOT A TORNADO in Severna Park- Declared Microburst.
CONFIRMED TORNADO in Chesapeake Beach.

For more on the NWS storm report- click here.

The old boundary is fading away, but there is a hint of it that has slipped to our south- allowing a cooler easterly flow. We had that kick in during the afternoon.
These maps are from Thursday evening. They show the contrast of the cooler easterly wind vs. the heat lingering just to our south. That is a 20 degree spread!

Forecasting for Friday is going to be tough since we can range from the upper 70s to near 90F. Still the big story will be the weekend, so let's jump right to that.Here is my forecast for the weekend.- thanks to Emily Gracey for the graphic.... Add in high humidity and this being the first shot of the season, and Excessive Heat Warnings may be posted. Start saving up- your BGE bill is about to go up!

Historic Heat Wave. Severe Weather Plan Video

After three days of filling in the daily almanac for my morning graphics, I noticed a trend... The Record High dates kept staying the same as the previous day. So I went back into the archives and found this 4 day stretch of records. You'll notice the 23rd and 25th(today's date) both at 94F. That is the warmest ever for Baltimore.
I have frequently documented historic heat waves, and it still amazes me how frequently these 'waves' last 3 or 4 days. It takes a special pattern to develop first to establish a record, that it can last for a while.

Well, we are not in record heat, but this pattern will hold our temperatures up through the first half of the weekend. A series of showers will move through and knock out numbers down. First, a round of showers will try to move through tonight and early Saturday. Most of Saturday should be dry, but some thunderstorms will arrive in the afternoon and evening. Then Sunday will bring in the cooler temps and a better chance of steady rain. At least the new grass seed will get a drink. It's possible that 1-2 inches of rain may fall.
What would you do if a tornado struck? Do you have a family plan? Watch this video- this guy did.