Vermont Chills Out, Tropics Heat Up

Here on Wednesday, we're in the throes of what I consider to be the Northeast's first outbreak of autumn weather of the season.

Chilly, dark, damp and wet late Wednesday
morning in St. Albans Vermont. Feels like fall.  

Yes, I know it's not really autumn and I know we've had a couple cool spells already, but this airmass really feels like I should be out raking leaves or something.

Temperatures won't get out of the 60s today across much of northern New England.

It's  cloudy, there's a chilly northwest breeze, and the scattered showers roamin around might even drop a bit of small hail.

The first "autumnal" airmass of the season usually hits about this time of year, so this is to be expected. It's just a reminder that summer is now entering its waning days.

However, it will warm up nicely over the next few days, and we can get back to our summer activities, at least for now.

Meanwhile, the tropical Atlantic is getting active.  Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, but things usually don't really get popping until mid-August. And suddenly, there are two systems that have a pretty high chance of forming into tropical storms.

Again, things appear to be on schedule here.

The National Hurricane Center is
now watching two areas for possible
tropical storm development  

One of the disturbances is heading toward the southern Gulf of Mexico and the other one is just east of Africa, way out there, and moving generally toward the west.

There's no guarantee either of these weather disturbances will become tropical storms or hurricanes, but the chances are good. The system heading toward the Gulf of Mexico could spell trouble for the southeastern United States.

It's super wet down in that part of the country. Heavy rain is expected there over the next few days. A tropical storm entering the picture after a weekend of downpours  won't help at all.

With or without a tropical storm, you'll probably hear about nasty flooding in the Southeast over the next several days.

That thing way out in the Atlantic by Africa is many days away from affecting land. And even if  it does develop, it might not hit anything at all. Who knows?

If either become a tropical storm they'd be named Erin or Fernand.

Even if neither disturbance amounts to anything, expect plenty of tropical news, and a few hurricanes from the Atlantic threatening the East and Gulf Coasts over the next six weeks or so.

"Tis the season.