ROANOKE, Va. – Meteorological summer comes to an end Saturday, September 1.
The meteorological community breaks seasons down on more of a month-to-month basis, because it's easier for record-keeping. This also is typically the time of year when we start to notice the average temperature going down.
This summer has not been one of the hottest or even one of the wettest, but it has been one of the most humid on record in Danville, Roanoke and Lynchburg. This is a trend we've noticed in cities like Charlotte, Raleigh and even as far north as Boston, Massachusetts.
Looking ahead to the first week of meteorological fall (aka September), the pattern doesn't budge much. High pressure dominates our weather in the eastern U.S., meaning high heat and humidity for the area.
If you're looking for a taste of fall or even fall color, that's still a ways off. In order for bright colors this year, all we need is the humidity to take a chill pill in mid-to-late September.
Jonathan Kegges and I have been working hard to do some long-range forecasting, but the water is very muddy at this point. The upper level air pattern is still very volatile and wavy in the Pacific, meaning that forecast data is going to be very inconsistent beyond the next seven days.
What we'll wait for is to see a strong area of high pressure off the west coast, as that would help guide some cooler air into the eastern U.S.
There is no clear indication as to when that will happen, so in the meantime - we expect small and subtle changes in the pattern for the second and third week of September.