August has not disappointed in terms of where the temperatures are supposed to be -- and where they are supposed to be is HOT. Our recent string of heat hit a head this past Friday after the official temperature at Easterwood Airport went as high as 105°....and that is before you factor in the "feels like" heat index.
Not that it helps any with the fact that it will be hot (and likely 100°) again this afternoon, but let's put this summer's heat into perspective with last summers. By the time last year, Bryan / College Station had already racked up 41 100°+ days and was on it's way to the 42nd on the 14th of August. This year, yesterday only went down as the 13th triple digit day in 2012. Again, not that it actually helps with the fact that you are going to be sweating it out for another day...but at least it is a moral victory to keep in the back of your mind.
Actual Temperatures vs. What it Feels Like
It's not the heat, it's the humidity. You've heard it all of your life and know the truth behind the statement. While highs will top off on either side of 100° this afternoon, it will feel as hot as 102° to 106° when you factor in your heat index by the end of the afternoon (calculated with dewpoints between 68° and 72°). Below is a look at the regions highs followed by a daypart forecast for Bryan / College Station (bottom, green line is expected air temperature & top numbers are expected heat index values):
Pattern For the Next Couple of Days
Natural relief from Mother Nature isn't something that you should expect much of. You'll notice
things get a bit breezy as we move into Wednesday and Thursday. A trough of low pressure (yellow dashed line) will set up on the lee side of the Rockies which will help stir winds up to 5-15mph with gusts upwards of 20mph. A stalled front just to our north should be the focal point for storms in the state -- a few of which may hold together long enough to drift south into our area -- overall rain chance is at 20% or less, however.
Soggy Weekend Plans?
Still time to fine tune the details -- but it looks like you may want to have a Plan B in your back 
pocket for any outdoor weekend plans. A weak cold front will slide into Texas starting on Friday as deeper tropical moisture moves in to South and Southeast Texas thanks to the remnants of Tropical Depression Seven. Those to factors together are slated to increase the cloud cover, bring lift into the atmosphere and spark up showers and thunderstorms throughout a Friday to Monday period (at least). Best chance for that rain looks to fall on Saturday, for now, but details could change -- something we'll be diving into over the next couple of days....
