A break from the extreme heat...

The weekend will bring a break from the extreme heat across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Temperatures here in Central Virginia should average in the upper 80s each afternoon, with lower levels of humidity. Dew points, which have been in the 70s much of this week, are forecast in the mid 60s Saturday and the lower 60s Sunday.

Temperatures should reach the lower 90s early next week, with a thunderstorm or two popping up each afternoon Monday and Tuesday.

Will the extreme heat return?

There are signs that the upper ridge that brought the extreme heat and will shift west over the weekend, could return the extreme heat to Virginia by Wednesday and Thursday. This means temperatures could soar into the mid and upper 90s. However, most of our longer range computer data suggests that a more powerful front will arrive later Thursday. This should "cool" us down again by the end of the new work week.

The latest on the tropics...

There's still very little going on in the tropics. We're watching a disorganized area of showers along a broad surface trough in the western Caribbean. Any development would be very slow. Otherwise, we can't find anything significant across the Atlantic. NOAA came out with an updated seasonal forecast this week, and it still shows above average activity. We're actually a bit ahead of schedule, with three named storms so far. The average date for the third named storm in the Atlantic is August 21st.