Updraft: July 29, 2009 Archive

Rain moving east

Posted at 8:13 AM on July 29, 2009 by Paul Huttner (1 Comments)

Rain shield moving east on NWS Aberdeen, South Dakota radar this morning.

Here it comes.

A wall of rain is moving eastward through South Dakota this morning. The promising area of steady widespread rain is part of a slow moving weather system sliding our way tonight. This could be the best chance of a soaking rain in weeks for rain parched southern Minnesota.

All indications are the rain should hold together this time around. It will move into western Minnesota early this afternoon, and should spread into the metro by tonight. The best timing for the onset of rain in the metro appears to be between 9pm and midnight. The steadiest rain should fall between midnight tonight and noon Thursday.

Computers are still cranking out between .50" and .75" for most of southern and central Minnesota into Wisconsin. If the system moves slow enough, there may be some lucky spots that soak up over an inch of rain.

Keep your weather fingers and toes crossed for a good soaker tonight!

PH

-Sioux Falls radar (track PM rain)
-Twin Cities radar (track rain tonight)

Pacific Northwest heat wave

Posted at 11:46 AM on July 29, 2009 by Paul Huttner

High temperatures will simmer well over 100 again today for Portland, Oregon.

It's smokin' hot in Portland these days.

Record setting temperatures continue today as a heat wave grips the usually cool Pacific Northwest. A big hot dome of high pressure has set up shop over the Pacific Northwest this week. It's also cooking in Seattle with temperature in the 90s to near 100 degrees. Iced lattes are probably the beverage of choice this week.

The Northwest heat is part of the same weather pattern that brings cooler than average air to Minnesota these days. As the jet stream dives south from central Canada, the response brings hot air into places like Seattle and Portland. Even Fairbanks, Alaska is warmer than the Twin Cities again today with a forecast of "smoke" and a high in the mid 80s.

It looks as if summer like weather will return to Minnesota toward the end of next week after another cool shot of air again this weekend. Hang in there, or grab a flight to Portland!

PH

Seattle: Hottest day ever

Posted at 5:09 PM on July 29, 2009 by Paul Huttner (2 Comments)

Here's one for the all-time record books.

There temperature at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport hit 103 degrees today. This is the hottest temperature ever recorded in Seattle since they began keeping records at SEA-TAC 51 years ago. The previous all time record high temerpature for Seattle was 100 degrees set back on July 24th, 1994.

Portland, Oregon hit 106 Tuesday, just one degree shy of the all time record of 107 there.

Austin, Texas also may have the hottest month ever on record for July.

Maybe they could send a few of those degrees our way?

PH