Summer Of '22 Heat Over-performs Again In Vermont

A warm summer sky Friday evening in St. Albans,
Vermont. It's another toasty weekend. 

 4 PM SATURDAY UPDATE:

Temperatures indeed got to where they were expected this afternoon, generally between 85 and 91, with slightly cooler readings in high elevations.

The temperature did in fact reach 90 degrees in Burlington this afternoon. That's the 12th time it reached 90 this year.

At least some dry air mixed down from aloft, so dew points are in the 50s.  Even as low as 49 at one point in Burlington. 

Dew point temperatures are a good measure of how comfortable or uncomfortable the humidity is.  Dew points in the 50s are pretty comfortable in general. But when it's this hot, you'll still need to take it easy and drink plenty of fluids if outdoors in this weather.

PREVIOUS DISCUSSION:

The temperature in Vermont on Friday was supposed to reach the low 80s in the warmer valleys, but once again, the heat over-performed. 

The high temperature in Burlington Friday was 88 degrees. That sets us up for a decent chance of another day this summer that reaches 90 degrees.

Part of the reason for this bit of extra heat is the fact that it's been on the dry side.  If conditions were wetter, a lot of the sun's energy would go into evaporation.  We'd end up being a little more humid, but temperatures would be a little lower, too.

With less water to evaporate, the sun can concentrate on heating the air instead.  So, in the warmer valleys, and especially in the middle of urban heat islands like Burlington, we have a very strong chance of getting past 90 degrees today. 

The air over us today is not all that humid to begin with.  Drier air heats up faster than humid air.  This drier air cools off more quickly at night than when it's sultry. Which is why we started today comfortably in the 50s to around 60, but will get up to 85 to 92 this afternoon.

All the bricks and concrete and asphalt in even smaller downtowns usually make things hotter than in the countryside. That's because they absorb the sun's heat and then radiate it back out 

In forested and wilder areas, all those trees release oxygen and water into the atmosphere, so it's cooler in these areas.  

It'll tend to become cloudier and more humid on Sunday, especially west, so the 90 degree weather on Sunday might be limited to low elevations of eastern Vermont, especially south of White River Junction. But with the higher humidity, it will feel more uncomfortable than today. 

We do have the prospect of some rain Monday and especially Tuesday, but I'm still not overly jazzed by how much we'll get. We'll take anything, of course. At least we have a strong shot at some rain.