Weather pattern changes moving summer in, finally
Like the song says, 鈥淭imes they are a changing,鈥� and so it is with the weather in our area.
The past week was a continuation of the wet, cool and cloudy weather that visited us for a good portion of the month of May. A large upper-level low-pressure system stalled out over the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states and brought a series of short weather waves of energy producing the cool weather and the frequent showers. These waves are like the spokes of a wheel and as each spoke rotates around the larger upper air system, it brings more clouds and showers. Also, as the energy rotates around, it pulls cooler air into the area from Canada.
It looks like this is all beginning to change as high pressure, which brings fair weather, has moved into the area over the weekend and promises to warm temperature towards the 90-degree mark for the first part of this coming week. June will still have more showers, but we should get a nice break and a chance to get out the shorts and perhaps take a dip in the pool. We should also see a lot more sunshine and this alone will make us feel like summer is getting closer.
Temperatures from the June 11-18 average 58 degrees in the morning and 79 for the afternoon high. In the mountains, due to their increased elevations, temperature are usually five degrees cooler than the lower elevations. This week, should produce temperatures above the average.
Temperatures in June can still get chilly as evidenced by a reading of 36 degrees in lower elevations and 31 in the mountains. These are all-time records and it is now safe to finish your planting and get ready for some garden vegetables and late spring and early summer flowers. The cool damp weather should be producing some early lettuce by now.
Lastly, keep the lawn mower gassed up as all the rain last week and the coming sunshine should see some rapid lawn growth.