Wild Temperature Ride!

Temps took some interesting turns on Thursday in the Quad Cities!  We started off with some clouds, then we turned sunny.  Around 4pm a quick t-shower rolled through and by 6pm skies cleared back up.  Finally this evening a cold front rolled through the area dropping temps this evening!

QCA Drought Worsens

The new drought status is out and much of the QCA is now under an EXTREME drought.  This is the 2nd most severe category on a 5 category scale.  Rain has been spotty over the last few days with a few locations picking up decent amounts while most places only saw meager totals...of course the HOT weather this month has not helped out either!

Dog Days of Summer

From Wikipedia:  "Dog Days" (Latin: diēs caniculārēs) are the hottest, most sultry days of summer. In the Northern Hemisphere, the dog days of summer are most commonly experienced in the months of July and August, which typically observe the warmest summer temperatures.

That being said we can officially say we are in the DOG DAYS of summer in the Quad Cities!  Tuesday's high was 99° and Wednesday looks almost just as hot!

Tuesday ties for the 3rd hottest day so far this summer!

JDC Final Round Temperatures Over the Past 5 Years

It was an exciting and very hot end to the John Deere Classic on Sunday!  We officially reached a high temperature of 96° in the Quad Cities for Round 4.  Last year we were in the lower 90s, but it was only in the lower 80s in 2010!

WARM Weather thru 1st Half of 2012

The average temperature in the Quad Cities from Jan 1st through June 30th is the 2nd warmest since records have been kept for our area!  Click below for more from the NWS:

Click here 

Here are some numbers for the recent heat wave in the Quad Cities...

High Temps
June 28 - 99°
June 29 - 92°
June 30 - 88°
July 1    - 93°
July 2    - 96°
July 3    - 95°
July 4    - 96°
July 5    - 97°
July 6    - 100°
July 7    - 104°
July 9    - 89°
July 10  - 93°

Relief from the Heat

There is some good news and some bad news in the Quad Cities forecast over the next few days...

1st the good news - After a couple more hot days Friday and Saturday things will finally start to cool down Sunday and into early next week.  As of today it looks like temps will be fairly close to normal for the John Deere Classic, topping out in the mid to upper 80s and perhaps the lower 90s again by the end of the tournament.

More good news - There is a chance for showers and t-storms Saturday night and Sunday.

The bad news - As you can see from this 5-day rain forecast from the HPC our rain totals will likely remain fairly light and scattered.  The only hope for a good soaking rain is if you find yourself right under one of the sctd t-storms that could pop up on Sunday!

A line of Severe Storms known as a Derecho.....

Friday morning the Quad Cities had a few strong thunderstorms move through, but those storms eventually turned into the huge line of severe thunderstorms.  The storms caused severe wind damage and left millions without power. Above is a snapshot or a timeline of the severe storms as they tracked from Northern Indiana southward into the Mid-Atlantic states. This line of severe storms is called a Derecho, which is a long line of thunderstorms that create very strong straight line winds.  Winds can be as high as 80 mph.  And the storms all started near the Quad Cities!

Storm Reports Rolling In...

The t-storms that developed around the Quad Cities this morning have blossomed into a full blown DERECHO today.  Very strong winds rolled through Indiana, Ohio and now this evening the storms are holding together into West Virginia! 
     Closer to home we're dealing with a few sctd t-storms this evening, with the metro area escaping the worst of the weather, and unfortunately most of the rain so far too...

Update: TS Debby

Tropical Storm Debby hasn't moved much in the last few days, giving Florida, Georgia, and even Alabama plenty of rain. The forecast for Debby shows that the Tropical Storm will slowly move Northeast and the center of the storm will make landfall Wednesday afternoon.  The system looks to decrease in strength as it passes over land but will regain some enegry after returning to the warm waters of the Atlantic. 

Impacts on Land: Tropical Storm force winds are expected for the Gulf Coast of Florida through this evening.  Storm surge can have an impact with some surges rising up to 5 ft above ground level, the areas most impacted will be low lying coastal areas, especially around high tide.  Rain is also making an impact, northern Florida can see an additional 4-8 inches of rain the the following days and in 1-3 additional inches in southeastern Georgia. Some isolates storm total amounts and potentially reach 25 inches in northern Florida. Tornadoes are also possible across the Florida Peninsula. 

Tropical Storm Debby....

The tropics are getting active and it's going to be a week of heavy rains for folks along the Gulf Coast.  Tropical Storm Debby formed over the weekend and she is just going to sit and spin over Florida, southern Alabama & Georgia.  So heavy rain and flooding will be the main threats with this tropical system and not so much the winds.  Stormcast shows Tropical Storm Debby pretty much sitting over the same spot through Tuesday morning.  We'll keep you posted....