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I'm no weatherman, but I thought the higher temps had a lot to do with thunderstorms.
I know we're in what I've always called the season of 90's - temperature, humidity, and chance of a thunderstorm
Higher temps can bring instability, but you need other ingridants in the mix as well.
Phoenix/Vegas doesn't get many thunderstorms in their oppressive summer heat. Dallas tends to not either, with most storms occurring in the spring.
On the east coast normally we get an upper level high that moves over the SE bringing long term heat and humidity as air is blown up from the tropics. But, since there is inherent stability in the atmosphere (pressure moves from high -> low, so a downward force on the air above us), the little lifting that does occur doesn't have much to run, and you get those "popcorn" type clouds as opposed to what we have had over the last week.
With the low overhead, you combine the lifting motion of the low with the inherent instability of warm, moist air, and presto afternoon thunderstorms that just explode...
I've lived in NC for many years, and, in my opinion, the weather this month is more extreme than normal. Definitely summer storms are normal and not at all unusual in July. But at my house at least, they have been more frequent and way more rain than usual. Yesterday, many yards in our neighborhood had some flooding and there was some property damage from wind/falling limbs. It was very intense. And it has rained/stormed daily it seems. I do think it is very hit or miss, so it's possible that it isn't as bad in other areas..
I do love thunder and lightning and have been enjoying the excitement of the rumbles nearing, going out and seeing the billowy clouds, the intensity of the downpour.
I make the most of it by getting some weeding in the next morning, since they're easier to pull up by the roots when the ground is saturated.
I've lived in NC for many years, and, in my opinion, the weather this month is more extreme than normal. Definitely summer storms are normal and not at all unusual in July. But at my house at least, they have been more frequent and way more rain than usual. Yesterday, many yards in our neighborhood had some flooding and there was some property damage from wind/falling limbs. It was very intense. And it has rained/stormed daily it seems. I do think it is very hit or miss, so it's possible that it isn't as bad in other areas..
I'm with you on this. The sequence of storms on Tuesday was, for me, unprecedented. The low rumble of thunder started mid-afternoon and continued mostly unabated through somewhere around midnight. One of my dogs buried herself in her safe space and we didn't see her for twelve hours.
And while flash-flood inducing cells are part of the Summer experience here in the Triangle, the past week has been unusually busy. Of course there's a part of me that can't help but wonder if it's more about my working from home 100% of the time and being more aware rather than actual deviations from the norm.
It was definitely intense at my house in Chapel Hill, but didn't seem that much worse than other storms I have been in. Some other folks I know felt differently.
I do think that storms became more frequent and intense about 10-15 yrs ago. Could be climate change or just cyclical.
It was definitely intense at my house in Chapel Hill, but didn't seem that much worse than other storms I have been in. Some other folks I know felt differently.
I do think that storms became more frequent and intense about 10-15 yrs ago. Could be climate change or just cyclical.
Again, only been here 2 yrs, but it seems more intense recently. Can’t say for sure. Regardless, it’s still a welcome relief from being in the STL area. I’ve heard tornado sirens dozens of times over my life and it’s never a good feeling. Every Spring and Summer it seemed like we were watching the horizon from our patio, hoping the funnel clouds didn’t form.
Really? It was getting pretty dry here and I was glad to see some rain. It certainly wasn't memorable. I've noticed most of the comments have been from Apex and Cary, so I guess you've been receiving the brunt of the storms.
According to RDU data, we're 0.7" below normal over the last 30 days, 0.2" over the lat 90, and 1.0" above for the year to date. But I read that there is now a new record for the number of days above 90F in July.
Again, only been here 2 yrs, but it seems more intense recently. Can’t say for sure. Regardless, it’s still a welcome relief from being in the STL area. I’ve heard tornado sirens dozens of times over my life and it’s never a good feeling. Every Spring and Summer it seemed like we were watching the horizon from our patio, hoping the funnel clouds didn’t form.
I'm in NW Cary and it seems the thunderstorms are all around us but not over us - had a few the last couple of weeks. But when I check the radar it appears that southern Wake is getting pummeled with lots of red radar echoes on many different days. So I guess the training thunderstorms have been set up in that area the last few weeks.
According to RDU data, we're 0.7" below normal over the last 30 days, 0.2" over the lat 90, and 1.0" above for the year to date. But I read that there is now a new record for the number of days above 90F in July.
For most of this year, I have been following the snapshot numbers reported in the N&O (which looks to be from AccuWeather). Since early this year, we have been running about 2-3" YTD above normal. Today's numbers are 28.18" YTD vs 25.24" Normal, which is just under 3 inches.
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