Stormy weather
Scattered showers and thunderstorms return to the eastern U.S. today and tonight, August 15, as a stationary front remains stuck near the region. Scattered “garden variety” thunderstorms will slow down truckers here and there along the I-75 and I-95 corridors. However, storms could be a bit more intense in a few spots from Savannah, Georgia to Virginia Beach. A few severe storms could also pop up on I-70, I-76 and I-81 from the Shenandoah Valley to Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Localized flooding could lead to roadblocks, especially on secondary roads and interstate ramps. A Flood Watch has been posted for the Tampa Bay metro area, where soils remain very saturated from above-average rainfall accumulations during the last several weeks.
Severe thunderstorms could be more numerous in portions of the Great Plains where the atmosphere will be quite unstable. Target areas are from southern Kansas to Wyoming and the South Dakota – North Dakota border. These storms will have the potential to delay loads being hauled on I-29, I-35, I-70, I-80 and I-90 through Wichita, Kansas City, Cheyenne, and Omaha, as well as Sioux Falls and Aberdeen, South Dakota. These storms may produce large hail, wicked winds, abundant lightning and/or flash flooding.
Western sizzlin’
The heat wave maintains its grip in the Desert Southwest, as well as the Central Valley of California. Highs today will be 10 to 15 degrees above normal, ranging from 105° to 120° in Phoenix, Yuma, Las Vegas, Bakersfield, Stockton, Sacramento and places in between. Death Valley could hit 125°! This level of prolonged heat can be life-threatening. Drivers: please know the signs of heat illness and spend as little time as possible outside.
Tropical update
Tropical Storm Krosa moves through the southwestern part of the Japanese island of Honshu earlier today. As of 8:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight TIme (EDT) today, 9:00 p.m. Japan Standard Time (JST), Krosa was centered in the Sea of Japan, about 160 miles northwest of Osaka, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph. The storm is heading toward a few of Japan’s small islands, but Krosa is forecast to weaken as it continues moving across the Sea of Japan over the next couple of days.
Impacts of Krosa will include minor disruptions to ocean shipping routes, as well as possible short-term closures at ports. This includes the port of Osaka, as well as Nagoya, Japan’s largest and busiest trading port. Also, some flights have been delayed or cancelled to and from Nagoya Chubu and Kansai airports, possibly delaying air cargo.
Have a great day, everyone, and be careful out there!