Weekend forecast looks nice in the Mid-South, but not in the northeast U.S!

The blog has been quiet of late, owing to many things going on behind the scenes, as well as other obligations that have prevented me from writing.

One of the big things going on behind the scenes is the imminent release of our newest service for smartphone users - StormWatch+. I am very excited about this new service, which will revolutionize the way you receive severe weather information!  If you haven't already downloaded the apps, I encourage you to do so so that you will be ready for the upgrades when they are released.  The iPhone update should be ready next week and then we'll get to work on porting it to Android.  You can download the apps by searching for "MemphisWeather.net" in the App Store, iTunes, or Android Market or by clicking on the links on MemphisWeather.net.

So, back to the weather at hand... A cold front is passing through the region today with little fanfare. However, we will begin to see a marked difference in one thing with this front - the humidity!  By tomorrow afternoon, even though temperatures will still be near 90, the humidity will bottom out near 40%, which will make it feel much more comfortable. The lower humidity values will also allow overnight temperatures to drop down into the 60s for the next few nights everywhere except perhaps on the concrete of the big city. Pleasantly warm high pressure that takes hold behind the front will hang on through the weekend and right into next weekend thanks to Hurricane Irene moving up the East Coast and keeping weather systems over our part of the country at bay for a few days.

Hurricane Irene over the Bahamas as seen by Astronaut Ron Garan aboard the International Space Station

Speaking of Irene, I've been closely following the model tracks and forecast intensity of the storm as it moved into and through the Bahamas and now begins a beeline up the eastern seaboard.  Given the current track and models trends, my biggest concern right now is for the major metros of the northeast which have not dealt with a system like this in decades.  Besides significant wind (currently category 3 and expected to remain a hurricane right into the NYC metro) and torrential rainfall that could inundate sewer systems in large cities and cause flash flooding, storm surge could be particularly dangerous for coastal areas from the Delmarva up to Massachusetts. For a great read on the potential effects of this storm on the northeastern U.S., please check out Weather Underground's Tropical expert Dr. Jeff Master's blog post from earlier today.  Other links that are worth checking out:

MWN Tropical - everything the rubber-necker from Memphis needs in one concise package
StormPulse.com - the best interactive presentation on the tropical web
Crown Weather's Irene page - extremely comprehensive, no stone left unturned
Weather.com - complete coverage by the weather authorities

That's it for today. Thanks for reading and enjoy the great weather this weekend!

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For weather information for Memphis and the Mid-South, where and when you need it, visit MemphisWeather.net on the web, m.memphisweather.net on your mobile phone, download our iPhone or Android apps, or visit us on Facebook or Twitter.