A Warm End to Summer With A Few Holiday Showers...

Hello Again!

With a little bit of down time, I am looking at some weather data, and it looks like a few changes are on tap for the weekend.

TEMPERATURES:  Things are poised to warm some in time for the weekend and then cool back down some headed into next week.  The dog days of August show up...right at the end of the month.  Expect temperatures Friday to touch or exceed 90 with dewpoints pushing 70 degrees.  That will make for a humid start to the Labor Day holiday.  After that, we'll see temperatures drop back into the 76-83 range for the rest of the long holiday weekend.

RAIN:  Definitely on the table for the weekend, with Sunday looking like the best day to pick up some scattered showers and perhaps a roaming thunderstorm moving through the area, as what's left of Hurricane Isaac is currently forecast to make it's way up here as a low pressure system and drop some rain on us.  On either side of that, expect clear skies and warm conditions before Labor Day, and mostly clear skies with cooler temperatures after the holiday ends and the low gets out of here.  Look at the impressive rain totals in the latest 5 Day Outlook from the National Weather Service...

5 Day Precipitation Forecast Map

SEVERE WEATHER:  Nothing on the board for the next three days here in Michigan, the only risk area in the nation is still down in the Deep South, associated with Isaac.

ISAAC:  Is slowly losing steam as he drags himself further inland.  Odds are he'll lose his Tropical Storm status and be downgraded to a Tropical Depression before dinnertime.  Last update from the National Hurricane Center has these figures for him.  Lowest Pressure: 985mb (this is up from the 972 he was at yesterday, an indicator that he is losing steam); Max Sustained Wind: 40 MPH (again, he's losing steam, was at 70 MPH earlier yesterday); Movement: NW at 9 MPH.  Here's where the National Hurricane Center thinks he'll move over the next few days:

Forecast Track of Isaac through Monday

There are numerous flood warnings out for the Mississippi Gulf Coast, as well as points north and east of New Orleans in Louisiana.  Plaquemines Parish, among others, in Louisiana has been hit especially hard with flooding, as levees were overtopped.  A Tornado Watch is up for parts of Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana until 4 PM CDT this afternoon.

This is the visible satellite image, and as you can see, not much going in this part of the world...

Visible Satellite Image

Here's the forecast for Jackson and surrounding communities including Parma and Leoni Township:

Today, sunny, breezy, warm, high 86, winds SW 5-10 MPH.

Tonight, clear and comfortable, low 61.  Winds SW 3-5 MPH.

Friday, continued sunny, becoming hot with increasing humidity, high 91.  Winds SW 5-10 MPH.

Friday night, mainly clear skies, perhaps a couple of passing clouds, low 63, winds S 7-13 MPH.

Saturday, becoming mostly cloudy, perhaps the chance of an isolated afternoon shower, high 81.

Sunday, cloudy skies, not as warm, chance of widely scattered or scattered showers, especially in the south zone, high 81.

Labor Day, mainly cloudy skies, perhaps a few peeks of afternoon sunshine, a scattered shower or two cannot be ruled out, high 82.

Tuesday, skies become partly sunny, not as warm, high 78.

Wednesday, partly sunny skies, cooler, high 73.

That's your forecast for the next six days.  Just a reminder that Friday and Saturday will have just a forecast for that day, due to a death in my family.  Blessings, have a great day!