Updraft: September 2, 2011 Archive

Lee soaks the Gulf Coast; USA Hottest summer ever?

Posted at 5:35 PM on September 2, 2011 by Paul Huttner
Filed under: Hurricanes

Some dry air working into Tropical Storm Lee may have spared New Orleans from the threat of 20" rain totals, but the storm continues to soak the area.

Meanwhile high wind and waves pounded Lake Pontchartrain on the north side of The Big Easy.

The slow moving Tropical Storm will deliver a 1-2 punch to the Gulf Coast:

1) Torrential rainfall with rainfall totals likely over 10" will flood parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

2) A persistent east wind, storm surge and pounding waves will hammer the Gulf Coast for the next 3 days.

NOAA 5-day rainfall forecast: a 24" bull's eye over New Orleans?

Katia & Lee: Active tropical display

Check out the Atlantic IR loop below. On the left, Tropical Storm Lee swirls in the Gulf of Mexico. On the right, Hurricane Katia churns westward in the Atlantic.

USA: Hottest summer ever in 2011?

The data won't be released until mid-September, but there are some rumblings that the summer of 2011 may go down as the hottest on record for the USA.

I heard a representative from the Office of the Texas State Climatologist on the Weather Channel Friday hint that preliminary data may show that the summer of 2011 was the hottest on record for the USA.

This would not be a big shocker considering the huge number of records set this summer in the central and southern plains.

Stay tuned for some torrid numbers coming out in the next few weeks.

Labor Day Weekend: A cooler forecast

Another holiday weekend is upon us. After a steamy 94 Thursday and a hot summer, this weekend will have a decidedly different feel.

Look for highs generally in the 60s and 70s this weekend. Lows will dip into the 40s and even 30s in far northeast Minnesota by Labor Day morning.

Scattered showers will be around Saturday, but the rest of the weekend should be dry.

Sunday will feature gusty NW winds of 15-30 mph, and choppy lakes.

Labor Day looks to be the pick of the weekend. Plenty of sun, light winds and highs in the upper 60s north to low 70s south.

Have a great holiday weekend!

PH