Brief Tropical and Wichita Update

As for the tropics, things are still very dead in the Atlantic. A large plume of African dust is currently stretching from the Caribbean to the African coast...so little development in this area can be expected anytime soon. However one possibility will be along the eastern coast of the United States from the weekend into next week. A strong trough will push into the east, followed by a building ridge in the northeast. Sometimes energy can get trapped off the southeast coast when this occurs underneath the building ridge. This trapped energy can slowly develop resulting in a tropical system. It will be an area to watch, but the chances are still low.

As for Wichita we will finally get some 'cooler' air into the area. Actually, following today (the current temperature is 105F!) we should see a few days over the next week and a half of highs in the upper 80s with lower dewpoints! Additionally, the rain chances will come back into the picture as northwest flow sets up over the central plains. The upper-level environment will be very supportive of strong MCSs moving across the area, the only question will be how much moisture will be present. If dewpoints get back into the upper 70s or low 80s there could be some significant events ahead of us. But this is all conditional....along with the tropical possibilities in the week ahead.

PS: Finally finished editing my thesis...so I should be able to keep up with this blog more often now.