JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Summer arrives one week from last Monday but already the oppressive heat is on! However, a late season cool front promises to knock our temperatures way down by the weekend while the intense heat moves west.
Nelly was right; "It's gettin' hot in here!"
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How hot we talking? Well Tallahassee recorded it's first 100° temperature of the year on Monday while Jacksonville soared to 97° making it the hottest day of the year thus far. Another scorcher was is in the forecast for Tuesday.
Temperatures were once again expected to reach the mid to upper 90s in Jacksonville before a late season cool front swings through for the weekend allowing below-seasonal temperatures to settle in. Highs in the mid 80s anybody?
Our heat pales in comparison to what is in the forecast for Phoenix and Las Vegas this weekend. A massive ridge will build over the four corners region prompting temperatures to skyrocket to as high as 120 degrees in Phoenix and 110 degrees in Vegas.
The levers on the slot machines won't be the only lever pulled down. I suspect the thermostats will be as well. Do you feel lucky? Those folks probably don't when they see their electric bill, but I digress.
Now before we all get hysterical, remember that Phoenix and Vegas are in the desert. The average high temperature in Phoenix is 104° for this week in June. However, 110-120 degrees is still pretty incredible. As a nod to that, the National Weather Service has issued an Excessive Heat Watch for the entire area of southwest Arizona.
Even the rattlesnakes and scorpions are packing up and heading north.
As the ridge builds west, we'll be under the influence of a trough that will keep our weather unsettled for the remainder of the week and into the weekend. While high temperatures are expected to come way down into the mid 80s, our chances for afternoon thunderstorms will also be higher than normal (50% range).
Therefore expect your afternoons to be temporarily interrupted with summer storms just about each and every day. With such a hot atmopshere, it is possible that severe storms could make an appearance each and every day.
The main threat with any storm that fires up will be gusty winds and small hail. Of course we'll continue to keep you updated here at News4Jax and News4Jax.com with the latest on any developing storms in our area.