The most notable aspect of the forecast over the next several days will be how warm the temperatures are going to be. The ridge of high pressure continues to build across the Great Basin which will keep our skies mostly clear (a few high clouds every now and then are certainly a possibility) and will boost our temperatures up near if not over record levels. Thursday’s forecast high of 68 would tie the record, and 70 on Friday will fall just a degree shy for that date. Temperatures remain near record level through the weekend before a dry cold front drops our highs back into the 50s on Monday.

Courtesy Indiana University of Pennsylvania

We’ve been talking about the dew point and what happens when the temperature approaches said dew point, and condensation occurs. There’s a pause in the cooling due to what is called “latent heat.” Whenever water changes its state from vapor to liquid, it gives off heat in order to do so. This release of “latent heat” slows the cooling of the air. This is why dry air cools so much faster than “wet” air. I’ll have more on why this is important tomorrow.