#MEwx Hot and muggy with some spotty rain possible and "heat wave" defined

Good morning Augusta

This morning we have partly sunny skies with a slight chance of showers and isolated thunderstorms this afternoon. Warm with highs in the mid 80s with light and variable winds, becoming west around 10 mph this afternoon.

Tonight we’ll have partly cloudy conditions during evening hours, then clearing. Humid with lows in the lower 60s. Winds will remain light and variable.

The outdoor temperature is 70.2°F, the dewpoint is 69.9°F and it feels like 71.9°F.

We received 0.68 inches of  rain here over the past 24 hours.

Sunrise is 5:00 am, sunset is 8:27 PM and we’ll have 15 hours 78 minutes of daylight today.

Moonrise is 12:46 PM,  Moonset is 12:02 AM. The moon phase is in its first quarter and is 48% illuminated. Our next full moon will be on July 10 and our next new moon is on July 24.

The wind is from the South Southwest between 2.2 MPH and 4.3 MPH.

The Relative pressure is 29.53, the Absolute pressure is 29.33 and rising with a weather graphic indicating sun and a few clouds.

The humidity is 99%, the UV index is 2 placing the average person at moderate risk and the solar radiation reading is 225.7W/M2.

Visibility is 10.0 miles / 16.1 Kilometers with sun and clouds.

 

Heat Wave defined

I’ve never been completely clear on what constitutes a “heat Wave” in meteorological circles. So I took the time to go online and look it up.

This is what I found from the NOAA.

This advice is especially important if you are over the age of 60 and/or have serious health conditions. Hey, if you aren’t healthy and in your 20’s or 30’s any more…

 

The Short Answer:

A heat wave is a period of unusually hot weather that typically lasts two or more days. To be considered a heat wave, the temperatures have to be outside the historical averages for a given area.

Dangerous Heat

For some, a heat wave might sound like an excuse to run around with a hose or into some sprinklers. In reality, though, heat waves are no laughing matter. They are serious weather phenomena that can be quite dangerous.

You see, there’s hot and then there’s HOT. One example of a HOT time was in late June and early July 2012 in the United States. During that time period, more than 8,000 warm temperature records were broken or tied. Many of these records had been unchallenged since the 1930s. Roads actually buckled in Chicago. Many deaths were attributed to the heat nationwide.

 

How Do Heat Waves Form?

Heat waves are generally the result of trapped air. During the 2012 heat wave, air was trapped above much of North America for a long period of time. As opposed to cycling around the globe, it simply stayed put and warmed like the air inside an oven.

 

The culprit? A high-pressure system from Mexico. Between June 20th and June 23rd, this system migrated north. It grew in size, and it parked itself over the Great Plains of the United States.

 

High-pressure systems force air downward. This force prevents air near the ground from rising. The sinking air acts like a cap. It traps warm ground air in place. Without rising air, there was no rain, and nothing to prevent the hot air from getting hotter.

High-pressure systems can create a 'cap' that traps air in one place as it warms. This can lead to a heat wave.

But that wasn’t all. A weather pattern that normally pulls air toward the east was also weaker at the time. That meant that there was little that could be done to push this high-pressure cap out of the way.

Heat Wave Safety

Heat waves like this may be less exciting or dramatic than other natural disasters like tornados, hurricanes, flooding, or even thunderstorms, but heat waves kill more people in the United States than all other weather-related disasters combined.

What is a heat wave?

A heat wave is simply a period of unusually hot weather that typically lasts two or more days. The temperatures have to be outside the historical averages for a given area. A couple of 95 degree summer days in Maine, for example, might be considered a heat wave, but a couple of 95 degree summer days in Death Valley would be pretty unremarkable.

Stay safe during a heat wave with these helpful tips.

Take it easy. Slow down and avoid doing strenuous work.

Dress for the weather. Wear lightweight, light colored clothing.

Avoid high-protein foods and meat. Eating these can increase your body’s heat production.

Drink lots of water. Unless you have a condition that is affected by changing how much fluid you drink, it’s a good idea to keep as hydrated as possible.

Find an air-conditioned place to hang out. Don’t have an air conditioner of your own? Find a friend with one, or go to a public place like a library that has one.

Avoid getting too much sun. Sunburns make it harder for your body to cool off.

Be very careful in cars. Cars heat up extremely fast. You should never spend time in a parked car with windows closed, and you should always be wary of hot metal objects both inside (like seatbelt buckles) and outside the car.