>California ablaze in both heat and fire, Autumnal in Midwest and Danny to become a hurricane.. I don’t think so

Written by on August 28, 2009 in Rest of Europe with 0 Comments

> http://www.accuweather.com/news-story.asp?partner=rss&traveler=0&article=3

FROM ACCUWEATHER http://www.accuweather.com/news-center.asp Flames from a brush fire glow from a distance behind a home on Baytree Drive in La Canada Flintridge, Calif., Friday. About 500 homes in La Canada Flintridge, a suburb just 12 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, also were ordered evacuated late Thursday as flames made their way slowly down from the San Gabriel Mountains, said Forest Service fire spokeswoman Diane Cahir. (AP Photo/Mike Meadows)

A strong bubble of high pressure parked over southern California is pumping high’s to record levels as 100s spread from the desert communities to the Pacific Coast.

Fires are also causing problems with million dollar homes going up in flames but thankfully winds are not so much an issue as what would be expected when highs get this hot on the Pacific Coast. Normally 90s and 100s along the coast show up when low pressure forms off the California coast and high pressure inland work to force strong winds through canyons and gaps as the tight pressure gradient is created by high and low pressure. This time around the record 103 in Long Beach, 101 in downtown LA, 105 in Santa Ana, 108 in San Bernardino, 106 in Van Nuys and a blistering 118 was recorded in Death Valley was caused by powerful subsidence of air from high pressure over top of southern California, forcing the cooling marine influence out and allowing the heat to creep onto the glisten, golden sands of southern California beaches.
This is indeed in stark contrast to much of summer where heat has been kept at bay and the last time downtown LA topped 100 was back in April. Interestingly it’s fairly unusual to see 100s twice in downtown LA during a fairly modest summer temperaturewise.
It was really hot out across the deserts of California, Arizona and Nevada yesterday when highs topped an impressive for late August, 113 degrees at Phoenix and 206 in Las Vegas. It’s always interesting when you see highs hotter in coastal valleys of California than in the heart of the desert and also interesting when you see highs topping 113-115 in Phoenix, Las Vegas and Palm Springs when coastal areas may only be in the 60s and 70s. It’s always to do with position and strength of the upper high and this time around while it’s hot in the deserts, it’s as hot or hotter in areas nearer the Pacific as the “core” of high pressure is displaced further towards the coast and thus shutting off the normal marine flow generated by the Pacific high and hot, dry air is pushed towards the coast, bringing up the temps and bringing down the humidity and therefore the fire problem is factored by lack of humidity and not so much wind this time around (because core of high where maximum subsidence is and least wind) is more centered over top of coastal valleys and LA basin..

Meanwhile it’ all about the cool, chilly air that’s draining into the Great Lakes and Midwest from central Canada. High in areas may struggle to get above the mid-60s today and tomorrow with some areas perhaps in the upper lakes, northern Wisconsin and Minnesota that top the mid-50s for highs. Nights will see light winds and clear skies as dry, Canadian high pressure filters in which will bring the likelyhood of lows dropping into the 40s as far south as suburban Minneapolis and Chicago, 30s with pockets of upper 20s may be found in the cold spots of northern Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan as well as northern New England and southeastern Canada.
As for Danny, well I believe one thing and that is he will likely produce a good gale for southeast New England, produce heavy rains and with his energy, the high to his north and east and low/trough to his west, powerful winds of baroclinic forcing (tight pressure gradient between higha and low) may produce gale-force winds from North Jersey, NYC, Long Is and throughout New England as well as rainfall that’s associated with low pressure over the US rather than Danny himself who will track probably north off the Hattaras Cape and possibly clip eastern Long Island and may make landfall as AT MOST a strong HYBRID tropical storm. Gale force to maybe even hurricane force gusts along the coast and highe, exposed ridges of the Northeast may be more associated with high and low pressure pressure gradient and little if no direct influence created by Danny. I simp,y think Danny is half tropical, half baroclinic with much of his wind and rain north of his exposed low level center. strong shear and dry air is the issue with Danny struggling to do anything…

Thanks for reading.
-Mark

Follow us

Connect with Mark Vogan on social media to get notified about new posts and for the latest weather updates.

Subscribe via RSS Feed Connect on YouTube

Leave a Reply

Top