Heat Wave Reaches Climax Today With Strong To Severe Thunderstorms
Relief is on the way from this torrid stretch of hot weather. The fourth day of this third heat wave of summer in Northwestern Middlesex County is going to probably be the worst of them all with temperatures soaring to or near the century mark. Heat index values are forecast to range between 102 to 110 degrees depending upon where you are.
Record temperatures are possible whether you are in Toms River, Belmar, Newark, or South Plainfield. The National Weather Service office in Mount Holly is calling for the mercury to climb to 101 in Northwestern Middlesex County this afternoon. In addition, humidity levels will be on the increase as well thanks to a shift in the wind to a more westerly pattern. Dew points are anticipated to be in the upper 60s.
With all of this heat and humidity, the atmosphere will be unstable enough that when a cold front pushes through late this afternoon into early this evening, strong to severe thunderstorms are possible throughout the Garden State. These storms could contain damaging winds, small hail, heavy rain, and dangerous lightning. The Weather Channel indicates that a good portion of the Northeast from the Eastern Great Lakes to the Eastern Seaboard cities of Boston, New York, and Philadelphia are under a slight risk for severe weather.
Once the front goes through though, temperature and humidity levels will start to drop as a cooler and drier air mass will move in. GWC will be tracking the severe weather today, and plans to have periodic updates in the blog and journal as well as some photos and video online.