Pleasant Fall-Like Weather Continues, But Summer Returns Next Week

Everyone back in the subfreezing winter and cold spring were waiting for summer but now that its here its still bring such of big disappointment for some. Many are wanting to hit the pool and or a beach but for some it just isn't hot enough. Others are enjoying the cooler weather and want this pattern to stay put. Just 2 years ago, 52% of the summer from June 1st to August 31st saw temperatures 90+ and yesterday's date last year we saw our 1st 90 of the year. We have yet to see our 1st one this year and there isn't one in the forecast over the next week though we may get close. Since June 1st, 55% of the summer has seen below normal temperatures and we are in the "Dog Days Of Summer" which is a period of time where temperatures are supposed to be at its hottest for the year.
On Tuesday afternoon the thermometer only reached 71°. This was 1° from tying the 1987 coolest high of 70°. It was the 3rd coolest July 15th on record and 15ˌ below normal. On Wednesday morning the thermometer dropped to 53°, which was 4° too warm from tying the 1945 low of 45°. It was the 6th coolest open for a July 16th morning. In the afternoon we only got as high as 72° which was 1° too warm from tying the 1917 coolest high of 71°. This morning the official low was once again 53°, which was 2° from the record low of 51° set 38 years ago in 1976. So far no temperature records have been broken this week but there is still one last temperature record to keep an eye on. Today's record for coolest high is 74° set 89 years ago in 1925. My forecast is for 76. Temperatures this week have been more typical for late September and early October.




We aren't the only one's feeling the chilly air. Cleveland, Ohio has only reached 90 once and Kansas City set records lows of 54° on July 15th & 55° on July 16th. So how hot as it gotten this year? For most places in our area, we typically see much higher numbers but some are not only seeing cooler temperatures this year but cooler temperatures this July than they did in June. Here's a look at the hottest temperatures recorded so far for select major cities in the U.S.

CITY	TEMP	DATE
Louisville, Kentucky	97°	July 13
Omaha, Nebraska	95°	July 6
Kansas City, Missouri	92°	July 12
Chicago, Illinois	91°	June 17
Des Moines, Iowa	91°	July 12
Detriot, Michican	91°	June 17
Minneapolis, Minnesota	90°	July 6
Cleveland, Ohio	90°	June 17, 18, 28
Indianapolis, Indiana	88°	June 17, 18, 19, 23
Grand Rapids, Michigan	88°	May 31, June 1
Milwaukee, Wisconsin	87°	June 30

Today is the 15th Day Below Normal This Month. Will This Pattern Break?
Hoosiers, we have been stuck in a NW flow pattern really since mid October of 2013 and hasn't really let up. Only 2 out of the past 9 months have been above normal and there's a good chance this month will be the 7th out of 10 months to finish with below normal temps. However, the unseasonably cool air that has been with us this week will slowly fade as the week draws closer to the weekend. Temperatures will return back to the 80s and those Dew Point temperatures (see Image 1 below) will rise back to uncomfortable levels becoming oppresive next week. Storm Chances will also return back to the forecast. So far this month, we've only received 0.94" of precipitation which is 1.75" below normal and counting. There are signs that the ridge west will strengthen and migrate East into Central U.S. but some uncertainty remains as far as how far East it will come and if it will bring us our 1st 90 of the year later in the month. This should become more clear over the coming week. Stay Tuned. Here's my latest outlook (in the 2nd image below).