Jeff Masters: Scorching May heat wave hits much of the U.S.; severe weather expected in the Midwest

Scorching May heat wave hits much of the U.S.; severe weather expected in the Midwest


by Dr. Jeff Masters, wunderblog, May 27, 2012


An exceptionally strong high pressure system anchored over the central U.S. is bringing record-smashing May heat to much of the country this Memorial Day weekend. Dozens of daily high temperature records fell on Saturday, including several all-time records for the month of May. Vichy-Rolla, Missouri, hit 98 °F, beating its all-time May heat record of 95 °F set on May 15, 1899. Columbus, Georgia, hit 97 °F, tying the record hottest May day on record. Saturday's high of 100 °F in Tallahassee was the second highest May temperature since record keeping began in 1892. Pensacola's 98 °F on Saturday was its second highest May temperature since record keeping began in 1879 (the record May temperature in both cities is 102 °F, set on May 27, 1953.) Nashville, Tennessee, hit 95 °F on Saturday, just 1v°F shy of their all-time May heat record. That record could fall today, and numerous all-time May heat records will be threatened in the Midwest, Great Lakes, and Tennessee Valley. 


As is often the case when one portion of the country is experiencing record heat, the other half is seeing unusually cool conditions, due to a large kink in the jet stream. Billings, Montana, received 1.3" of snow Saturday, and Great Falls had received 2.3" as of 6 a.m. this morning. The dividing line between the warm conditions in the Eastern U.S. and cool conditions to the west lies over Nebraska and Kansas today, and NOAA's Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has placed portions of these states in their "Moderate Risk" area for severe weather -- the second highest level of alert.


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