THURSDAY WEATHER: Hot and steamy weather is on the agenda for the days and weekend ahead. We’ll be close to 90° today and tomorrow, with slight chances of afternoon thunderstorms tomorrow but otherwise dry weather expected into the weekend. We’ll likely push into the low 90s through the weekend. All in all, it’ll be one of the hottest weekends of the summer — and nights won’t provide much relief, as we’ll only drop into the low 70s during the overnight hours. It’s going to be humid and toasty. So plan a day at the river, at the lake, or by the pool … or, at least, inside with the AC going full blast!
FURTHER OUT: Slight chances of thunderstorms return next week, but for the most part we’ll remain relatively dry. Temperatures will still be hot, hovering right around 90° each afternoon. This pattern will likely persist throughout next week and beyond, as August shapes up to potentially be even hotter than July, compared to average. We’re fast approaching the time of year when our temperatures begin to slack off, but this year may see the peak of summer heat persist beyond what we’re accustomed to.
RIVER CONDITIONS: Streamflows remain slightly above average for this time of year. The Big South Fork River is flowing just under 300 cubic feet per second (cfs), and Clear Fork is flowing at about 120 cfs. There’s about three times as much water flowing on Clear Fork as we would usually see in mid August, while Big South Fork is closer to normal. Water clarity is fair, and water temperatures are peaking at about 80° in the peak of afternoon heating. Expect diminishing streamflows, improving water clarity, and warming water temperatures over the next 3-5 days.
TROPICAL WATCH: This has been a very quiet hurricane season, but things have really ratcheted up the past few days. Tropical Storm Cristobal is out in the middle of the Atlantic, posing no real threat to land, and that’s where he’ll stay. Another disturbance south of the Cabo Verde Islands will likely become Tropical Storm Dolly in the next day or so. And yet another disturbance that just peeled off the coast of Africa may eventually become the fifth named storm of the season (Edouard) in the days to come. However, there’s no indication that either of these storms will become a threat to the U.S. So, all in all, a very quiet Atlantic hurricane season continues.
