HEAT INDICES UP TO 105º EXPECTED AS HEAT ADVISORIES HAVE EXPANDED TO NOW INCLUDE WORCESTER COUNTY, ALL OF NORTHEAST AND NORTH-CENTRAL CT, SOUTHWEST NH, AND CENTRAL/EASTERN FRANKLIN, HAMPSHIRE AND HAMPDEN COUNTIES THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING… HEAT WAVE STARTS TODAY, AND CONCLUDES ON WEDNESDAY… BY TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY, SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COME INTO THE PICTURE… BY LATE WEEK, WE COULD BE DEALING WITH FLOODING ISSUES IF A COLD FRONT PRESSES MORE FIRMLY INTO OUR REGION, FOCUSING HEAVY RAIN AT TIMES INTO THE WMASS AREA… WE COOL BACK DOWN TO THE 70S AND 80S BY NEXT WEEKEND… 8:05am Sunday…

Good morning everybody, we’re already starting in the upper 60s to mid 70s with dewpoints around the same levels.

The Pioneer Valley of WMass and northern CT and points east are heading into a 4-day heat wave that will see high temps crest into the upper 90s Monday and Tuesday with heat indices pushing 105º, and possibly a touch higher.

We may actually see Excessive Heat Warnings hoisted for limited parts of our region by early this coming week, especially for the Springfield to Hartford corridor, but right now we just have Heat Advisories in place to start to get the word out that potentially dangerous heat and humidity levels are on the way.

I’m going summahrize the salient points below, but the bottom line is that through Wednesday it’s quite hot and humid, and Tuesday through Friday will mix in isolated to scattered showers, downpours and thunderstorms each afternoon, with possibly more widespread heavier rains by late week before we cool down into next weekend. The heat breaks Wednesday evening.

SUMMAH-RY
–For our Sunday, we will have clouds early, but we should see them break up with time, leading to a partly sunny day by afternoon with highs in the mid 80s to low 90s
–Our heat wave will begin today for central and southern Pioneer Valley denizens, as well as for others who reach the low 90s
–Southwest winds will gust 20-30mph by this afternoon as the lower atmosphere gets well mixed by our high sun angle
–It will be very humid with dewpoints in the upper 60s to low 70s, but the lower atmosphere should be perfused with warm air fairly high up, so it will be more stable, so no showers expected
–Lows drop into the upper 60s to low 70s under partly cloudy skies
–Monday is when the heat really surges!
–Those with respiratory conditions, who work outside, and who are prone to heat illnesses, need to stay hydrated, have a plan to cool down, or if possible to stay out of these weather conditions
–Highs will soar into the low to upper 90s from high terrain to low, and it will be very humid, with heat indices rising over 100º, possibly reaching 105º in a few spots
–It will be mostly sunny, and while a spot shower or storm is possible, it should be mostly dry
–Lows will again be in the upper 60s to low 70s, very humid
–Tuesday is another ripper with highs in the upper 80s to upper 90s, with mostly sunny skies early
–Excessive Heat Warnings may be hoisted for limited parts of our region
–This is the day where the influence of the frontal boundary to our northwest starts to press southeast, and could induce cooler temps aloft, creating steeper lapse rates to combine with the heat and humidity to produce scattered showers, downpours and thunderstorms Tuesday afternoon/evening
–Very heavy rain will be possible in any storms
–Storms will dissipate at night, and lows will drop into the upper 60s to low 70s once again with very muggy conditions
–Wednesday looks like our final heat wave day, with highs in the upper 80s to mid 90s under partly sunny skies, with additional showers and thunderstorms by afternoon and evening, with lows near 70º, continued very muggy
–The late-week period of Thursday and Friday is uncertain at the moment, but it does look cooler with highs in the 80s as the heat wave breaks
–In addition, if the upper level trough over the Great Lakes tracks more southeast toward the region, this could push that frontal boundary over us, leading to heavier, more widespread rain mixed with thunderstorms, with flash flooding possible
–By the weekend, we should be cooling further into the 70s and 80s and hopefully we’ll dry out by the 4th, but I’ll have to update as we get closer

Have a great day, and stay cool through mid week!