The term “Dog Days” is used during the normally hottest time of year in the Northern Hemisphere. This usually lasts from early July through the middle of August. It started a bit earlier than usual this summer. The period of 20 days either side of the conjunction of Sirius and the sun is called the “Dog Days”. The origins, of …
You don’t have to be a meteorologist to know when the weather is extreme…although having one available can be helpful if you want a scientific name for what you are experiencing. Lake Anna recently took advantage of that availability when it suffered a weather event identified by Sunset Cove, Bluewater residents and retired National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Eckert as …
July into August are the hottest months of the year. Temperatures frequently peak in the 90s. On rare occasions, we experience temperatures at or above 100 degrees F. When high humidity is combined with the heat it can make for uncomfortable, and possibly dangerous, conditions. Heat-related illnesses and deaths can vary in the US every year. When we have prolonged …
Starting Friday temperatures in the mid to upper 90s will be common through the weekend. Some increase in humidity will also occur. There is a small chance we could hit 100 on Sunday. The combination of heat and humidity will support heat indices, or what it feels like, in the lower 100s. The heat index is scientifically based on a …
The 2024 forecast is calling for an “above-normal” hurricane season, which, unfortunately, doesn’t give us any specific intel about where they will make landfall. As the Atlantic hurricane season begins on June 1, the National Hurricane Center has released the names for this season’s tropical storms, including Alberto, Beryl, Chris and Debby, just to name a few. Hurricanes can bring …
Heavy convective (thunderstorm) rainfall was my expertise for over half of my National Weather Service career. The technical term was called Quantitative Precipitation Forecasting (QPF), which in layman’s terms was trying to figure out how much rain would fall in a specific time period, in a specific location. The scope of our forecast area was the lower 48 states, including …
Photo: Periodical cicada broods of the United States and emergence timeline (Courtesy: USDA Forest Service) As temperatures climb to 64 or 65 degrees Fahrenheit, typically in mid-to-late May, Virginians eagerly anticipate the emergence of cicadas—a familiar symphony of harmless winged wonders renowned for their deafening chorus and periodic mass appearances. While excitement brews over the impending “Cicadapocalypse” in Virginia, there’s no …
April 8, 2024 will be a once in a lifetime event for many people in the USA. A total Solar Eclipse will shroud parts of the county in the shadow of the Moon. The massive shadow, called the Umbra, will be about 100 miles wide. Those under the path of the Umbra will experience several minutes of twilight, during totality, …
As Winter fades in the rearview mirror, we need to turn our attention to the upcoming season. In 2023 we actually had very little severe thunderstorm activity, due to the drought. So, what will 2024 bring?Usually, exiting an El Nino winter results in a slightly lower threat for severe thunderstorms, including tornadoes, hail and strong winds. But, so far this …
Tuesday morning the National Weather Service (NWS) issued a Fire Weather Watch for the region, for Wednesday. A watch means critical fire weather conditions are possible but not imminent or occurring. Later Tuesday the watch was upgraded to a Red Flag Warning for the region. Conditions on Wednesday are expected to be supportive of critical fire weather patterns. This means that the relative humidity …
