GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.– The hot, muggy, July dog days of summer are here! During the 3:00 PM hour the thermometer at the GR airport registered 94 degrees with a feels like temperature of 100.
This hot weather is all the result of two things mainly (meteorologically) that are occurring. First, the polar jet stream is well north of the area in Canada. Not all that unusual for this time of year, but that allows the warm, moist flow and heat to build in the Midwest. Second, a very strong, dominant ridge (or dome) of high pressure is firmly entrenched over the Great Lakes. That blocks all weather systems from entering in to the region, and compressional warming/heating can occur over several days with high pressure overhead. In other words, the heat can literally just build as the high sits on top of us. It’s not as strong as the compression warming that typically occurs on the lee side of mountains with the downsloping of air, but this more subtle effect can still cause temperatures to climb and heat to build.
While there is a chance of a pop up shower/t’storm the next few days with all the heat and humidity, anything widespread or prolonged is unlikely. The next best chance for storms comes on Friday as a strong cold front blasts through the region. That front will bring cooler, drier air behind it by Saturday and Sunday!
Since the National Weather Service already issued HEAT ADVISORIESfor our entire area both Tuesday and Wednesday, see the attached heat index chart to determine what “feels like” temps will be. The chart shows air temperature across the top, while relative humidity is along the left side. With dew point temperatures hovering around 70, the relative humidity will be about 45 to 55 percent. That generally gives us a heat index of around 100 each day…hence the reason for the advisory.
Get temperatures, feels like temps, satellite, radar, and the 7 Day forecast at www.fox17online.com/weather.
