5/27- Heat Continues- some Storms

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE-

It's a holiday weekend!

Unfortunately, though... it won't be all that pleasant of a day in the weather world as temps climb into the 90s for the third time in a row at BDL, which should result in the first heat wave of 2016. The problem with this is A- it'll feel completely miserable thanks to humidity and B- thunderstorms are possible tonight. Fortunately...they should not be too severe- the risk is only a SEE TEXT, so I'd be surprised if a single severe warning went up tonight- but they could be a nuisance with briefly torrential rain. As we move along, two of the three weekend days look great, but Monday...Memorial Day itself...looks like a total washout thanks to both a spot in the jet stream that enhances rising motion...and influence from what will by then be Tropical Storm Bonnie to our south. This will cause a very rare event for Memorial Day- I cannot personally remember the last time we had a consistent hard rain all day on this holiday- it's been quite a while!

In the Atlantic- That low off the southeast coast has become better defined overnight and probably is going to be named Tropical Storm Bonnie this afternoon as it meanders towards the SE coast. It'll likely make landfall in South Carolina on either Sunday or Monday as a weak tropical storm. When it becomes named, 2016 will join 2012 and 1951 as the only two seasons in recorded history with multiple named storms before the season begins on June 1. Both these seasons were quite active...but of course although we remember the 2012 season for Hurricane Sandy, 1951 was not particularly memorable- actually all of its' storms stayed out to sea. That being said, it only takes one!

No development is expected in the Pacific

Today in weather history- May 27, 1896- A massive tornado crushes the eastern part of St. Louis, MO and kills 306 people, making it one of the deadliest tornadoes on record. This is one of the few instances of a direct tornado strike to a major city...not because of any meteorological phenomenon (contrary to popular belief) but because there's just not that many cities in that part of the country...so to get a tornado to track right over one is hard! Other notable "downtown" tornadoes have hit Miami, Atlanta, and Salt Lake City in the past.