Heat wave may not be as bad as first thought
As Yogi Berra would say, "It's déjà vu all over again."
The Mississippi River is dropping and the heat index is climbing, just like the Summer of 2012. Unlike last year, however, the current heat wave should be relatively tame and short-lived.
A dome of high pressure is expected to deliver temperatures in the mid-90s through the end of the week. However, the computer models are now hinting that high pressure might start to weaken over the weekend, easing the heat and humidity somewhat. We could also see scattered thunderstorms.
Next week doesn't look quite as bad. This afternoon's forecast discussion from the National Weather Service in Paducah reveals that a cold front might arrive on Labor Day. The discussion states, "ONCE THE COLD FRONT CLEARS THE REGION MONDAY OR MONDAY NIGHT, NOTICEABLY COOLER AND LESS HUMID AIR SHOULD MAKE A RETURN. IN ESSENCE, WHILE AN INCREASE IN HEAT IS LIKELY THE LATTER PART OF THIS WEEK, IT MAY NOT BE AS LONG LIVED AS EARLIER THOUGHT."
The current 8-14 long-range forecast is now calling for normal temperatures instead of an above-average heat-fest.
Rainfall, however, is expected to remain very low.
Thanks to the sudden lack of rainfall in the Midwest, the Mississippi River has been dropping fast. By the start of September, the river is projected to drop to a stage of around 10 feet at Cape Girardeau and 3 feet at Chester.
The river would only need to drop another two feet at Chester before we could start thinking about walking to Tower Rock again. That's quite a difference from June 5 of this year, when the river hit 42.41 ft. on the Chester gage, the fourth-highest crest in history at that location (this summer's biggest crest at Cape was not quite as historic: it was ranked 15th).
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