7/15 – Rob Knight’s “Hotter Temps Ahead” Friday Afternoon/Weekend Forecast

High pressure will continue to move into the area and shape the forecast though the weekend. The Bermuda ridge extends westward from the Atlantic Ocean to near Florida. A weak disturbance north of the area will continue to lift NE and weaken.

Abundant moisture exists along the southern periphery of that ridge. Spatially, there appears to be a strong across the area and thus, we should see similar convective coverage today with the most rain in the southern half of the area and least in the northern half. The main concern with any storms today will be hourly rainfall rates which could be quite intense…on the order of 2 to 4″ in an hour. If any of the stronger storms develop over urban areas, could see some flash flooding.

On Saturday and Sunday, medium range models show the eastern edge of the upper ridge centered to the west trying to expand farther east. This will attempt to suppress convective development. The long term portion of the forecast is fairly consistent from day to day and fairly summer-like.