11:02 PM Sat, Jun 30, 2007 | Permalink
KGW Meteorologist Joe Michaels
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If you're not ready to be hot just quite yet...you might want to get ready. =)
After seeing seeing some clouds for the start of the upcoming week, the jetstream will be pushing to the north...and a huge ridge of high pressure is expected to develop over the entire western third of the country by Tuesday and Wednesday. You can see that jetstream pushing to our north in the map below.
The reason that the high pressure system's so important...it's going to bring a clear blue sky to the area. So bright...and hot sunshine...will dominate the forecast. High pressure will also keep cool Pacific air offshore, and allow hot air from the high desert east of the Cascades to push into the region. How hot? Temperatures at a key forecast level of the atmosphere seem to indicate that highs will be approaching the middle...and even upper 90s...by Thursday. You can see that temperature map below.
Bottom line...it's going to get hot! So try and stay hydrated, especially if you're going to be outside on the Fourth of July. That's when the hot weather...in the 90s...will start to push in. Also, with hot and dry weather, our fire danger is going to be going up in time for the holiday...something to keep in mind when setting off fireworks on the Fourth.
Good luck staying cool...and enjoy the sun! I'm forecasting a sunburn in my future. Ha...ha... Okay, sorry for the weatherman humor. Couldn't resist. =)
Hey Joe,
Is the purple and blue circular area hottor than the deep red? What are the temperature of those purple colored areas?
Thanks.
Michael
Hey Michael,
The purple and blues across the Desert Southwest are hotter than the deep red. The purple colored areas are between 90 and 95 degrees fahrenheit.
But...this map is showing temperatures at the 850 millibar pressure level within the atmosphere...around 4,500 up in the atmosphere. There is a general relationship between this pressure level's temperatures and the surface temperatures. And that's why we meteorologists look at this 850 millibar temperature data to get an idea of just how hot it's going to get down here at 'ground level.'