WEATHER
Once again, a threat of severe thunderstorms will develop over central North Carolina this afternoon, but before the storms pop up it’s just going to be HOT. Highs will reach the low to mid 90s:
And the heat index will approach 100°:
Our rain chances will peak late this afternoon and this evening, continuing into early overnight:
I’m not thrilled with how any of the short-range forecast models are handling today’s storms, but the HRRR model seems to have the best handle on things. This is the radar simulation from 9:00am today through 6:00am tomorrow:
While that loop shows pretty disorganized activity, some of the storms will be strong enough to prompt severe thunderstorm warnings. The Storm Prediction Center has outlined a “Slight Risk” (level 2 of 5) of severe weather for most of central North Carolina:
Damaging winds will be the primary concern, and the strongest storms could drop some large hail as well:
It’s not an off-the charts risk, but enough to get our attention — be weather-aware this afternoon and this evening!
The storms will move through and fizzle out before sunrise Thursday, and a slightly less-humid air mass will settle in…for one day. We’ll start off in the upper 60s and low 70s:
But we’ll still warm up to the low 90s:
The mugginess climbs again Friday, fueling a slight storm chance…then we get another one-day reprieve from the “air you can wear” on Saturday:
Back to the hazy, hot and humid pattern Sunday and early next week, with low storm chances overall:
There are some hints that one of those days could bring us a slightly better chance of rain, but the data is all over the place right now.
LINKS
- This past July was the hottest on record globally — here’s a look at why that’s a big problem.
- Could palm trees survive on Mars?
- Stars may keep some of their youthful vigor as they age.
- Astronomers have found a brown dwarf where no brown dwarf has been found before.
- An unexpected anomaly is driving physicists to search for “light” dark matter.
- Questions to ask when you’re trying to decide on a new app or service.
- Researchers have published a new 3D bioprinting method that brings the field of tissue engineering one step closer to being able to 3D print a full-sized, adult human heart.
- A team of scientists have invented a device that can control neural circuits using a tiny brain implant controlled by a smartphone.
- Positive attitudes about aging may pay off in better health.
- A new study points to a possible reason why women experience dementia and related illnesses at a much higher rate than men: cumulative stress.
- Public confidence in scientists has increased markedly since 2016, according to a Pew research survey.
