First Real Summer Weather Spell In Eastern U.S., Vermont Included. Meanwhile Devastating Floods South

Garden and surroundings in St. Albans, Vermont now
approaching that look of full summer. Highs in the
80s this week will complete the process.

A big ridge of high pressure in the atmosphere is giving the eastern United States its first real taste of summer this week.  

Some spot 90 degree readings are possible as far north as the Northeast Wednesday and Thursday before slightly cooler air arrives during or just after this coming weekend. The Southeast is expected to stay hot well into next week.

Here in Vermont, the first 80 degree temperature of the season came to Burlington yesterday.  Today will remain ever so slightly cooler than that due to morning clouds and a weak weather disturbance.

However by tomorrow and Thursday the warmer Vermont valleys are expected to reach the mid-80s. Though highly unlikely, it's within the realm of possibility if there's full sunshine and conditions are just right, somebody in Vermont could see the first 90 degree reading of the year. 

Such warmth is made easier by the rather dry nature of the air. It can get hotter on sunny days if the humidity is low. Of course, to us it would feel hotter if it were humid, even if that moisture lowered the temperature by a couple degrees. 

The relatively dry air this week will make the unseasonable warmth pretty bearable.

There's some debate as to how quickly the early season "heat" will diminish, but the ridge causing it will break down over the weekend. We will start to trend cooler perhaps as early as Friday, but the process will be on the gradual side.

 A cold front will pass through, probably Saturday or Sunday, bringing temperatures down to near normal (70-ish) by Monday.

It doesn't look like that cold front will bring any needed, drenching rain, but at least it gives us a chance of some showers. We'll take anything we can get, right?

DANGEROUS SOUTHERN FLOODS

One big downside to this nice weather in the East is the same weather pattern is causing havoc in Texas, Louisiana and surrounding areas. The high pressure in the East, combined with storminess further west, is causing repeated rounds of torrential thunderstorms in this region. 

There's already is extensive flooding, and if anything, it will get worse today and tomorrow.  

Some places have already had a foot or more of rain in the past couple of days.  Some spot reports of nearly 18 inches of rain this week. 

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, wrecked by epic flooding in 2016, is now experiencing another round of homes and businesses badly damage by flooding.  

Same is true in Lake Charles, Louisiana, which is still trying to recover from Category 4 Hurricane Laura, and then Hurricane Delta last year. About 80 people had to be rescued from flooded buildings and cars around Lake Charles, and hundreds of homes were flooded Monday. 

One video on social media showed people in Lake Charles casually eating in a diner with ankle deep water on the floor.  Officially, 12.49 inches of rain fell on Lake Charles Monday. Half of that rain came in just six hours. 

Also on Monday, a total of 28 tornadoes touched down, mostly in Louisiana, Texas and New Mexico.  Luckily, they caused relatively light damage. Other tornadoes struck Sunday, including one home in North Dallas that suffered severe tornado damage for the second time in three years.

Western Texas tornadoes stayed mostly over open areas, yielding picturesque funnel and wall clouds.  A gas plant was damaged, but that's about it for destruction from Monday's twisters.  

 More torrential downpours expected today and tomorrow in large parts of Texas and Louisiana will worsen the flooding.