Wednesday, May 16, 2012

showing off... (pm.16.may.12)>

Skies are mostly sunny prior to sunset this evening, with pleasantly warm temps.  If we could order a day to bottle/package and then open up during the middle of the monsoon season, or during the dead of winter, this would probably be it.  According to my records, this was the sunniest day since the 30th of March, and by far the warmest of 2012.  My high temp above TIPA Road and just below the mountaineering center was 88.5F (31.4C) just after 3:00pm -- and even in Dharamkot a high of 86.1F (30.1C) was reported.  On top of all that, today's high was warmer than all of 2011 at my reporting location!!

National and International cricket stars, cricket fans, and all kinds of media people are flooding into Dharamsala now, in anticipation of the two India Premiere League matches on Thursday and Saturday.  Our Himalayan summer weather is at the pinnacle of perfection, but will it last?  Today we were under the influence of a temporary ridge of high pressure in between weak upper-level disturbances drifting through north India.  That kept things very stable, and prevented even an isolated thundershower from developing in the mountains.  The next weak disturbance will be moving through tomorrow, however, with yet another couple of shots at some instability as we head through the weekend.  What this means is that we'll continue to see some fairly typical weather for the middle of May... with great doses of sunshine punctuated by the risk of a passing shower or thunderstorm.  Due to our very dry air mass, even if a thundershower develops, it may have a hard time delivering much in the way of measurable rain.

Temps will cool off significantly in the event of a round of thundershowers, otherwise we should be in the "above normal" realm for the next several days... continuing this extended streak of summertime conditions.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT:
clear to partly cloudy and unseasonably mild.  slight chance of a late night thundershower.
low: 20C (68F)

THURSDAY:
a mix of sun and clouds.  very warm, with a shower or thunderstorm possible... especially in the PM.
high: 30C (86F)

THURSDAY NIGHT:
chance of a thundershower in the area... otherwise partly cloudy.
low: 19C (67F)

FRIDAY:
a combination of sun and some clouds.  a thundershower possible, mainly in the afternoon/evening.
high: 29C (85F)

SATURDAY:
partly to mostly sunny and very warm.  an isolated PM thundershower?
morning low: 21C (69F)
daytime high: 31C (87F)

SUNDAY:
sunny to parly cloudy and continued warm.  late day thundershower risk.
morning low: 21C (70F)
daytime high: 30C (86F)

MONDAY:
partly cloudy and not as warm.  good chance of a couple of thundershowers in the area.
morning low: 19C (67F)
daytime high: 28C (83F)