Is it Summer Already?

Good evening, Athens and North GA! Apologies for the late post! If you made your way outside today and into this evening, you might have found you did not want to stay long because of some persistent (and heavy at times) rain across much of North GA (particularly in the greater Athens region). Those showers and embedded thundershowers continue at this hour region-wide, but should slowly diminish as we get increasingly further away from diurnally-driven heating (and the instability associated with it). It might also be noted that some might have appreciated this rain as a welcome reprieve from the warm and muggy air. Although we are certainly not to the ridiculous heat we experience in the true summer months, high temperatures still reached into the low-80s today, with some decent relative humidity values (roughly lingering between 50-60% during max daytime heating this afternoon) -- certainly enough to make some (at least the heat-adverse) among us be extra careful not to hope for summer too fast. That being said, here in Athens, we should cool down rather nicely this evening (especially with the rain-cooled air) into the low-60s. As mentioned above, the rain should slowly taper off as we get into the overnight hours and should be replaced by fog area-wide. Be sure to drive carefully tomorrow morning, especially if your schedule gets you on the roads before the sun rises. Once that sun does rise, temperatures are expected to rebound quickly into the mid-to-upper 70s, although we cannot rule out a reading near 80 degrees should the showers and storms hold off longer than expected. Precip-wise, tomorrow will feature rain across much of the region (similar to this afternoon and evening), so taking your rain gear with you when you leave the house tomorrow morning would be wise.

A similar story rings true across North GA as a whole, with temperatures expected to fall into the low-60s this evening. Fog also appears likely across wide swaths of the area given the proximity between the expected low temperatures and corresponding dewpoints, so be careful region-wide if navigating in the presence of (some of which could be locally dense). Highs should climb nicely here as well, with the temperature expected to reach into the mid-70s (potentially scraping the upper-70s) before scattered to widespread precip knocks the mercury down a notch. Overall, it will continue to be a rather summer-like (hence the title) week region-wide. With temperatures reaching into the 70s and near 80, and summer-like "pop-up" showers and storms, we might be just getting our taste of every Southerner's favorite season. It should be noted that, much like summer convection, there is no widespread threat of severe weather with the thunderstorms possible for the next few days; however, frequent lightning, gusty winds, small hail, and heavy rain are all possible with the most vigorous of cells each afternoon. Remember: when you hear thunder roar, go indoors (regardless of a Severe Thunderstorm Warning)! Stay safe out there, enjoy the dry spots in the day, and as always, GO DAWGS!!! 3 days of class until Reading Day!