Wednesday was the peak of the heat in South Carolina. It hit 102 F at my house! Well, technically 101.7 F but we round up! Thank God the humidity was in check thanks to that consistent north wind. Honestly the 102 F yesterday felt better than the 97 F last week. Why? Dewpoint in the low 60s versus dewpoint in the high 70s! It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity, and “but it’s a dry heat” are very real. It honestly felt like I was in Las Vegas yesterday. And outside of my four summers in Las Vegas, yesterday was the hottest actual air temperature I ever experienced outside of the desert. Nothing compares to the desert. Try 122 F! At that point, you just melt. I walked 500 yards across a mall parking lot that day… and lived to tell about it!

THIS heat was the backed-off version I talked about in yesterday’s blog. The models were 4-8 degrees higher than this several days ago. I can only imagine…

So the heat rolls on but in South Carolina, it’s down from here. Sorry, no more 100, 101, or 102. Mid 90s today. The 100+ is across northern Florida, southern Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas today. The heat rebuilds Friday and Saturday across the central Plains before a strong cold front sweeps across the nation this weekend into next week. This cold front will bring temps back into the 70s and 80s for a lot of the nation. Except out west where the Pacific NW FINALLY gets a taste of summer, for a few days anyway. The longer-range closer to the 4th of July resets the 90s and low 100s across the south, particularly the Gulf Coast, closer to normal for the east coast and the Northeast. Also resets the cool across the southern Rockies and the Pacific NW.

Severe weather threats will be minimal. Yesterday did overperform across the Ohio Valley and into the Virginias with power outages and widespread gusty winds. I don’t expect much in the next few days. Keep your eyes on next Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday as the big cold front separates heat from normal.

Talk to y’all Friday!
Rich