Tuesday 8/21 Update

Hear that??? That's the sound of a very quiet weather pattern at home over the next week or so.

Above is a look at the surface features over the next week....with very little changing in our weather pattern.  High pressure will be setting up over the east coast, keeping things dry, and allowing for southerly winds to bring the warmth.  We'll eventually notice a small uptick in humidity as well by the weekend.  Bottom line, things look mainly sunny through the week, with perhaps a slight chance of showers/storms late in the weekend.  Temperatures will be heading back to the 90's tomorrow, and probably staying there until at least the first of the week.

The big story in the weather world today continues to be the active tropics.  What was TD Nine was officially named Tropical Storm Isaac just a short time ago after hurricane hunters detected winds above the 35 mph threshold this afternoon.  The center of circulation with Isaac corresponds with the brightest clouds in the IR satellite image below:

Still lots of uncertainty with the track and intensity forecast for this storm.  It is still battling some dry air just to its north, and a cluster of storms to the southeast of the center of circulation.  It looks to be moving into an area more favorable for development over the next few days....with lower wind shear, higher sea surface temperatures, and less dry air aloft.  If all of these factors work in favor of this storm, it should strengthen into a hurricane within a day or two.  It could become the first major hurricane (Category 3 or higher) IF it continues to stay over water longer.  If this storm crosses over landmasses, such as Hispaniola and/or Cuba, that could take the intensity down a notch.  Bottom line, this looks like the first threat of the season to the U.S., and interest anywhere from the Gulf Coast to Florida, to the Eastern Seaboard will want to keep a close eye on Isaac.