We’re having a heat wave – a tropical heat wave.  Well not really but I like the song   So yes it’s been hot but not as humid as in other parts of the country.  Our dew point or the measurement of how much moisture is in the air has been staying in the lower 60′s.  While that’s a touch humid when the dew point reaches the middle or upper 60′s that’s when it really feels muggy.  However dew point aside it’s still HOT!

Here’s a look at today’s high in Dayton – yes another day with highs in the 90′s.

The theme for this Memorial Day weekend has been heat.  I hope many of you have been enjoying your time off by the pool or inside enjoying the air conditioning.  This entire weekend our highs have been in the upper 80′s and lower 90′s.  Keep in mind our “normal” high for this time of year is 75!

So why are we so hot?  There’s a strong ridge of high pressure in the upper levels of the atmosphere.  This high is blocking any storms and is baking much of the Midwest.

This ridge isn’t going to be in place for too much longer.  By late Monday and early Tuesday a front is going to move through and bring our temperatures back to normal.  Late in the week our upper level flow brings in much more cooler air – 70′s ahhhhh

Back to the heat – I was looking at the climate data for Dayton trying to figure out if any of this weekend’s highs would break any records.  While we’re not going to break any records, something stuck out in my research. I noticed that one year really stuck out.  In 1911 there were six records broken in May and four of them were consecutive.

I can’t even imagine what it must have been like to have that kind of heat for four days in a row in 1911.  It makes me appreciate air conditioning and all of the technology we have.

Tara
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