WILD AND WACKY WORLD OF WEATHER...
Thursday's fireworks were supposed to be the "greatest ever" in the nation's capital. Maybe they would have been if you you were able to see them. Unfortunately, they were a bust for many as weather conditions created an environment where an abundance of smoke, minimal wind, high humidity, and an atmospheric inversion, trapped the smoke near the ground.
As a result, many disappointed spectators only saw what looked like fog illuminated by dull spotlights. Near the Washington Monument, many spectators departed less than halfway through the display.
Ryan Stauffer, an air quality meteorologist, tweeted that the concentration of fine particular matter (PM 2.5) at North Capitol Street was the highest in the country following the show. “The monitor along Benning Rd NE and DC-295 had two hours of almost 500 micrograms per cubic meter,” he tweeted. “Those numbers rival highest values from the California wildfires last year.”
Another noteworthy weather related event occurred in China. Six people were killed and nearly 200 injured Wednesday when a deadly tornado tore through part of northeastern China. Chinese state media reports the tornado touched down about 5:15 p.m. local time. It happened in Liaoning province, about 100 miles east of Beijing. The province shares a border with North Korea and is at a latitude similar to that of Boston
Tornadoes in China are rare but not unheard of. About seven to eight occur each year on average, most in a corridor along the coastal plain in eastern China. Within this relatively narrow alley, low-pressure systems dropping out of Mongolia and central Russia clash with moisture streaming in from the Yellow and East China seas. Once in a while, supercell thunderstorms can spin up, and as was the case Wednesday.
The twister lasted about 15 minutes, ravaging apartment buildings and an industrial park. The tornadic storm was accompanied by hail much like we see with our storms here in the Midwest.
Back home, the weather around the Midwest the rest of the holiday weekend looks uneventful. A weak front will push through the region bringing slightly cooler temperatures and lower humidity into the area Sunday. Until the front clears there will be the chance of a few spotty storms Saturday but most of those should occur near and south of I-80. Many spots will avoid the storms altogether. This is the total precipitation shown on the 3K NAM through Sunday. Most of what you see in Minnesota and Wisconsin comes Friday night.
Temperatures the rest of the weekend and into next week will remain seasonal, maybe just a bit above normal. Here's the 5 day temperature departures on the EURO
There you have it. Some pretty decent weather to enjoy going forward. Hope your holiday weekend has been perfect so far! Roll weather...TS
