One-Day Humidity Break Over; Another Steambath Week

Amid all the humidity and warmth we've had lately, the sky over
northern Vermont often seems to have a tropical look to it. 

I hope my fellow Vermonters and others in the area enjoyed their one-day break from the humidity that has smothered us for the better part of a month now.

It certainly was refreshing this morning. Burlington, Vermont had dipped below 60 degrees for the first time since July 20. The humidity dropped yesterday and it's still low.  

This week, though, it's back to the steambath. Today won't be all that humid, but it will warm up into the 80s, with even a few spots in the upper 80s today.

Then that Bermuda High will re-assert itself, a dip in the jet stream will form to our west again, and it's rinse and repeat. This week will be much like last week.

Count on plenty of humidity, with stuffy nights and oppressive days. Overnight lows will get down to only into the 60s to around 70 most of the week, with highs in the low to mid 80s. Low to mid 80s isn't really bad, until you factor in the high humidity levels.

We still really, really need the rain, despite some relief from the dry conditions last week. The forecast picture is mixed on that front. The humidity, and the trough of low pressure to our west, will create a decent chance of afternoon and evening thunderstorms each day, especially Wednesday through Friday or Saturday.

It won't be an area-wide soaking, though. These showers and storms will be hit and miss, as usual. Some places will get decent downpours, others will get just sprinkles, if that. As of last Thursday, the U.S. Drought Monitor had all of Vermont in either moderate drought or abnormally dry conditions, so we should hope the downpours are more widespread than the sprinkles.

You usually don't get widespread, soaking rains in the summer anyway. Often, we have to wait until September or October for that sort of thing,  unless some sort of tropical storm or hurricane remnants head our way. That's not in the cards for the foreseeable future.

If you have your air conditioner, keep 'em cranking this week. If not, August starts this week. Summer will begin to wane, and soon enough you will be complaining about how chilly it is out there.