Get Ready for Summer Heat
It may not seem like it, but temperatures so far this month have been lower than normal by about a degree. Even though it’s gotten warm in the afternoons, the dry air we’ve had for most of the month has allowed temperatures to drop into the low 60s at night, and as a result, we haven’t yet hit the typical 80 degrees by 9 AM condition frequently seen in Atlanta summers.
I’ve actually been able to get by for most of the month without air conditioning, but with the help of a whole house fan. The Atlanta area has been an oasis of relative calm, compared to other parts of the country — wet weather has drenched New England, and heat is settling in to the great plains. For example, Oklahoma City is 5.8 degrees warmer than normal for June, with highs reaching into the 100s when the normal is in the mid 80s.
The only thing that much of the Atlanta area is missing is rainfall. With the exception of about 2/3 of an inch back at the beginning of the month, I haven’t had any rainfall since back on May 10th. The storms we’ve had have been hit or miss - some areas got rain from Alberto, but none here. The Climate Prediction Center says Atlanta is in a moderate drought situation, but the good news is that they say we are likely to see improving conditions through September.
Taking a look at the longer range forecast, it looks like we may be back to a typical Atlanta summer shortly. While the air will stay dry through the first part of the week, more humid air is in the forecast for the latter part of the week. And, here’s the first look at the July temperature forecast from the National Weather Service:
The Plains are likely to get seared, and warmer than normal temperatures are forecast for much of the South. Texas gets a double whammy, with lower than normal rainfall expected, while the rest of the country has equal chances of above or below normal precipitation.
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