Here Comes That Heat!!!

Good Morning!


Another start to a bright sunny day in Jackson and around the South Central Michigan Weather Zone today, and it's gonna get HOT!  The scorching heat that has been confined to the Plains and Deep South for the last few days finally starts elbowing it's way in here as the upper air heat dome expands it's reach and flattens out a little bit.  


Out west, the Colorado wildfires are still raging out of control.  250 homes have been destroyed according to the last wire report I looked at, and Colorado Springs is under the gun now, including evacuation of the cadets at the Air Force Academy!  Say a prayer or send a good thought for those folks out there, for some rain, or at least a wind shift to help the firefighters get a handle on it as it's only 5% contained at this point!  Now, let's get closer to home and have a look at a deeper dive to see what's going on...


TEMPERATURES:  We start off seasonably mild today, with temperatures at 10AM in the 70's across the entire blog area.  The hot stuff starts making it's presence known later this afternoon.  High temperatures should settle in the mid to upper 80's today, and the 90+ stuff gets here tomorrow.  A few places around the blog area could post something as hot as 92 today.  I have to pay special attention to Branch and Hillsdale counties in this section of the discussion today, but anyone living in the south zone of the blog would be well advised to be careful because of the following.  The National Weather Service Northern Indiana office has issued a Heat Advisory for tomorrow from 10AM through 8PM EDT for Branch and Hillsdale counties.  Air temperatures and heat index values will be in the triple digits tomorrow, so be careful if you have to be outside during the day.


As the heat works into the area, I would expect temperatures tomorrow by 9AM to be pushing 80 across the board, except maybe Clinton and Shiawassee counties as they are so far north.  We'll see temperatures no lower than the mid 80's for the next week or so as we ramp up to July 4th.  Here's a look at temperatures around the US currently.

US Current  Temperature Observations

Places in Kansas and Colorado are already pushing 100 degrees with time to spare before lunch or even the afternoon when the sun is highest in the sky!


RAIN:  Some desperately needed rain looks to stay south and west of us here in South Central Michigan, according to the National Weather Service.  Their forecast has us picking up no more than a quarter-inch of precipitation the next five days.  Not much help for the crops that are suffering heat and drought stress, and the non-sprinkled lawns will continue their browning trend.  Here's a look at that map for you:

5 Day Precipitation Forecast

The models are showing a chance of showers or thunderstorms from Friday all the way through Tuesday of next week.  One of those same models (GFS) is also showing we won't break 90 degrees tomorrow either, so that makes his forecast suggestions across the board suspect.  I am still not convinced that we get wet here on Friday, even though the Storm Prediction Center is kicking that notion around as well (more on that below).  So I will hold off a bit longer from adding any rain chances into the mix for Friday, but Sunday looks more solid for rain at this point.  At any rate, based on the five-day map above, if you get something, it will be scattered and shouldn't drop much rain, though we could surely use it!


SEVERE WEATHER:  The Storm Prediction Center says nothing severe expected here in Michigan for the next three days.  We do see a general risk of garden variety storms tomorrow for almost the entire Lower Peninsula.  Fact is, it will likely be too hot for any heavy-duty convection to occur sufficient to get the big mean storms going.  A 5% risk swath just south of the state line is noted for Friday.  Here's a look at the maps for days two and three, valid at 8AM as always:

Storm Prediction Center Day 2 Outlook

Storm Prediction Center Day 3 Outlook

Grand Rapids NEXRAD radar is sound asleep, nothing to see but ground clutter, and the visible satellite image is showing a whole lot of clear sky and that's it...

Visible Satellite Image

76 degrees with clear skies in Jackson, here's the local forecast for Jackson and surrounding communities including Grass Lake and Concord:


For today, sunny skies, becoming hot this afternoon, high temperature 90, winds SW 7-13 MPH.


Tonight, clear and mild, lows around 66, winds SW 3-8 MPH.


Thursday, sunny, hot and becoming humid.  High 98, heat index values could reach 105 with dew point temperatures expected to climb into the mid 60's.  Winds SW 8-14 MPH.


Thursday night, mainly clear skies with some passing clouds, warm, lows only roll back to 68, winds SW 5-10 MPH.


Friday, a mix of clouds and sunshine, still hot, high 90.


Saturday, partly to mostly cloudy with a couple of peeks at sunshine, high 89.


Sunday, still cloudy, a few breaks for sunshine are expected, an isolated or widely scattered shower or thunderstorm can't be ruled out.  High 87.


Monday, more sun than clouds, still warm, perhaps the chance of an isolated shower or thunderstorm, high 85.


There's a look at a very hot forecast for the next six days, I hope your hump day Wednesday is fantastic!  If you have to be out during the day tomorrow, please watch yourself!  Blessings.