Saturday was the hottest day of 2020 viewing area-wide from the heat index standpoint.
Saturday night-Sunday morning was also the most oppressive night of 2020. The heat index at the Purdue Airport & WLFI did not drop below 85 the entire night. The low was 80. The low of 80.4 at the station ob site was the warmest low of 2020 so far after an 80.3 back in June.
Multiple locations saw dew points to 80 & heat indices to 110 & a Heat Advisory viewing area-wide. However, actual highs were 88-94 rather than 91-97, largely due to stratocumulus developing right underneath the cap & sticking under the cap a good chunk of of the day. Also, a thick veil of high & mid clouds overspread the area from the northwest from storms northwest of our area. In fact, it was mostly cloudy to cloudy for a large part of the day for part of the area.
Peak heat indices Saturday:
112 6 SE Covington
110 5 W Delphi...Kentland Muncipal Airport
109 Veedersburg (Thanks to Tim, our newest spotter with weather station!)
108 2 SW Rossville
106 3 E Attica...3 E Fowler...Flora Municipal Airport...WLFI Ob Site
105 Remington...Grissom Air Reserve Base
103 Morocco...Purdue University Airport
102 Peru Municipal Airport
101 Frankfort Municipal Airport
100 2 NW Crawfordsville
99 Rochester-Fulton County Airport...Monticello-White County Airport
98 6 NE Winamac...Logansport-Cass County Airport...Kokomo Municipal Airport...Rensselaer-Jasper County Airport
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Rather than complex of storms collapsing in Illinois in the morning & the outflow boundary/MCV popping new ones Sunday late afternoon once cap was overcome, complex of storms in Illinois did indeed hang on & moved right through the area.
It produced a corridor of damaging winds from Wolcott first, then next reports coming from Yeoman, Rockfield & Burrows, through Cass & Miami counties with gusts +60 mph. Many trees & limbs were reported down.
An apparent microburst northeast of Rensselaer produced a measured of 86 mph with crops flattened. Tree damage was also reported west & north of Rensselaer, through the gust at the Jasper County Airport was 44 mph.
The strongest winds tended to occur at the apex of the bow of the MCS. If there would have been more shear, this would likely have been a much more widespread, intense wind event.
Nonetheless, it makes for the third official severe weather event for the viewing area in 2020.
T'Storm Gusts Today (+45 mph):
86 mph 4 Miles Southwest of Bailey's Corner (North-Central Jasper County)
61 mph Logansport-Cass County Airport
57 mph Grissom ARB
51 mph Kokomo Municipal Airport
49 mph I-65/IN 28 (Frankfort)...WLFI Ob Site
48 mph Purdue University Airport
So, this was intense heat, but it would not qualify as a heat wave due to today not reaching 90 (a couple of days short). We have the opportunity once again in the forecast, however.
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The timing of these storms cut the heat. Many areas saw their highs before 1 p.m. near 90 with heat indices near 100 to +100 before storms cut the oppressive heat.
It was extremely hot today south & southeast to east of our area. Multiple locations in southern Ohio hit 100 & numerous 100-104 actual air temperature readings were recorded from West Virginia, Virginia to Pennslyvania, even Kentucky to Tennessee. Even St. Albans, Vermont, on the U.S.-Canadian border, hit 96. Manchester, New Hampshire reached 99!
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania soared to 103 & Frederick, Maryland saw 100. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania hit 100, Baltimore-Washington Airport hit 100, Charlottesville, Virginia also hit 100, while Norfolk, Virginia saw a record high of 102. Even in the high elevations of the Blue Ridge, Roanoke, Virginia reached 99 & in the Finger Lakes area of New York State it was near 100. Elmira reached 97 to name a few very hot near/record highs today.
Nashville, Tennessee hit 99, while Brentwood reached 100.
Heat indices up to 115 were recorded in south-central & southern Illinois with temperatures to 97.
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After mostly cloudy skies & patchy fog early Monday (lows 66-73), clouds will decrease through the day overall with highs 85-91 with heat indices 89-97. It looks dry.
MCV looks to fire round of rain & storms Tuesday with muggy highs of 88-92 after 66-72 in the morning. A few severe storms are possible. Current SPC forecast is MARGINAL RISK for severe area-wide, but upgrade to SLIGHT is looking quite possible.
Multiple waves of showers & storms are likely Wednesday (especially PM) with muggy highs of 85-91.
There is the risk of a few severe storms & some locally-heavy rainfall.
Thursday looks dry & a bit less humid with highs 85-91 with patchy fog Thursday night & lows 60-67.
Hot pattern with upper ridging & "Ring of Fire" just north of our area dominates the very end of next week & next weekend with widespread 90s & heat indices near 100 to +100.
Friday looks dry, but a few random spotty storms should pop Saturday & Sunday to Monday (a week from this Monday).
Cold front should pass Tuesday (July 28) with round of showers/storms expected. At this point, it looks like only the risk of an isolated severe storm as front will become increasingly anafrontal. That is, much of the showers & storm action will occur behind the front Tuesday PM.
