It’s July. It’s the dog days of summer. It’s hot. It’s going to remain hot or get hotter in many parts of the nation. Most of the temperatures you are seeing on the map today are at or above normal pretty much nationwide. That’s what the CPC called for a week ago and it has come to pass. Really no part of the nation over the next few days at least will be in “jacket weather” mode.

The big story is the heat in the Central Plains, the source of most heat since May. It may not hit 100 in parts of Oklahoma and Texas today, and that is headline news. No really, it is! But only for a day as temps will inch back into the 100s over the weekend. Thankfully not to 110 and above like it was at the beginning of the week.

East of the Rockies, east of the Mississippi and especially east of the Appalachians is where temperatures will climb over the weekend. But relief is coming in the form of a cold front that will dive into the upper Mississippi Valley this weekend. Places like Minnesota and Wisconsin should be on the lookout for severe weather this weekend. That threat will carry across the Great Lakes and into the Northeast by early next week. Then behind the front the air will be more typical for late July, a little less humid, not as hot. That front won’t make it into the southern half of the US. Here we will continue to cook for awhile. If you are in the Carolinas, Southeast, southern Plains, and into the Southwest… the beat goes on. Stay cool as best as you can for awhile.

I would like to thank the hundreds of folks I met at the Homeschool Convention in Greenville, SC last evening. It was so great to meet you guys! I normally don’t make mention of what else is on my website but on days like this, I have to blow my own horn. Weather education is my number one thing. I’ve been a Meteorologist for 25 years and I love teaching kids about the weather. That’s why I created Wonder of Weather for Kids, now available, and Wonder of Weather, coming soon to this website. If you go to the “register’ tab and follow the instructions, you can get setup with weather education today for a low price of $29! This price is for a limited time… the price will go up once Wonder of Weather is completed, probably sometime in September. Lock in your access to my weather educational materials today! And if your homeschool group, co-op, or regular school would like me to come out and speak, I’d be happy to! Just call or shoot me an email. I appreciate your support!

Rich