FROM A TASTE OF SPRING TO SUMMER...

Spring finally showed up! Temperatures climbed into the 60s and 70s... in fact it was the warmest day we've had in 13 days.. that was when we hit our first 80 of the year. Since then temperatures have been running 10-15 degrees below normal.

We've finally gotten some real spring weather and it will continue into Sunday. Sunday won't be quite as warm but it will still be warm. A disturbance will roll through and bring showers and a few storms early Sunday:

Some drizzle may linger into the afternoon and clouds will be in overhead, that will lead to temperatures running a few degrees lower than Saturday:

A big ridge of high pressure will begin to build in next week, allowing for the heat to grow... and leading to a real taste of summer:

Temperatures will start to rise through the 80s each day... starting Monday:

That ridge will also open up the Gulf of Mexico, allowing moisture to surge north into the Upper Midwest. Dew points on Monday will climb to uncomfortable levels:

That combination means that the atmosphere will be ripe for thunderstorms. Here's a look at the CAPE (convective available potential energy), or instability on Monfay afternoon:

The Storm Prediction Center is highlighting the areas as well:

There's some uncertainty on the timing and exact placement but scattered storms are likely late Monday:

The warm, active, summerlike pattern persists through the week. We'll talk more about that in my next post.

RK