Tuesday, June 2, 2015

an unsettled atmosphere... (am.02.jun.15)>

There are a couple of breaks in the overcast trying to open up, otherwise it's mostly cloudy at sunrise this morning.  We did manage to get hit with some thundershowers overnight -- but as has been the case for the past few weeks, these "thundershowers" contain alot more thunder and wind than actual "showers".  My rain gauge shows just 0.05" (1mm) of rain from all that noise and bluster during the wee hours.  The temperature dropped all the way down to 57.6F (14.2C) in the midst of the action -- very cool for this time of year -- but it's back up around 66F/19C now.

The upper-level low pressure circulation center we've been discussing the last several days remains in our neighborhood, and though it is becoming weaker and more ill-defined, it will shift only very slowly northeastward between now and Thursday.  Unseasonably chilly air in the mid- and upper-levels does not coexist well with any kind of warming occurring closer to the surface -- and that's what leads to the instability necessary to kick off these random periods of thunder, light showers, and gusty winds.  Expect more of that on a hit-and-miss basis through tomorrow (Wed), with things perhaps stabilizing a bit on Thursday.  Temperatures will contine to run several degrees cooler than normal for early June.

The whole pattern is going to gradually shift back toward something more typical for the season by Friday into Saturday.  Although there could still be isolated thunder development over the mountains, our atmosphere should calm down, as temperatures warm up rather dramatically.  It's looking overall dry and very warm over the weekend into at least early next week.

Get forecast specifics on THE 7-DAY OUTLOOK tab above.