We saw some sunshine and a stiff breeze at times today, with a bit of a haze in the sky courtesy of some smoke from wildfires in Canada. The smoke is being transported into the area in the upper levels of the atmosphere, so there is no smoky smell, but it is still filtering the sun a bit. It should stay with us for another day or so before going away.
Over the next couple of days, a strong front will push through the region and will give us good chances for rain during the first half of the weekend.
Some of the storms that pop up will be severe, and at this hour, a Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect for areas to our southwest. We may see a watch issued for us as well later tonight.
Some of the storms in our area will feature gusty winds, and any storm that does form will have plenty of moisture to work with, so heavy rainfall is possible and standing water on the roads and ponding water in the low-lying spots.
Fortunately, the threat of large hail and tornadoes is mostly confined to areas to our northwest.
The first round of storms should exit the area early tomorrow morning.
After that, we’ll get a bit of a break, but with the extra cloud cover, temperatures will be a bit cooler than they have been, with highs in the lower 70s on Saturday. Saturday afternoon, a second round of showers comes through the area. With the energy in the atmosphere taken up by the first round of storms, this will mostly be a rain event.
The chance for showers lasts through most of the day, before tapering off.
After the front is gone, skies will clear, and temperatures will cool off. Highs on Sunday, despite the extra sunshine, will only be in the mid to upper 60s, and the cool air invades the region from the northwest. The end of the weekend will see temperatures in the mid to upper 40s in most areas as we return to work and school on Monday morning.
