Atlantic tropical cyclone activity typically picks up a bit during the first half of July. Since the current active hurricane period began in 1995, seven of 14 years (50%) have had a named storm form during the first half of July. The busiest first half of July occurred in 2005, when three hurricanes formed. These included Read This Blog Entry
Weather Underground midday recap for Sunday, July 05, 2009.
The most active weather events occurred across the South on Sunday as weather disturbances stretched from the Southern Plains to the Mid-Atlantic Coast. A low pressure system over Tennessee triggered significant convective activity across Tennessee and Kentucky throughout the afternoon. Increased instability across these states led to areas of thunderstorms, rain, and strong winds. Unsettling weather also developed near fronts that extended from Texas through the Southeast. Abundant moisture flow from the Gulf of Mexico combined with intense afternoon heating and generated numerous thunderstorms and created a chance for severe weather development across this region. Strong to damaging winds accompanied thunderstorms across the South, while penny sized hail (0.75 inches) accompanied storms across Mississippi and Alabama.
In the West, significant moisture flow across the higher elevations and heating contributed to abundant thunderstorm activity across the Central Rockies on Sunday. Increased atmospheric instability over this region made conditions ripe for severe weather development throughout the afternoon. Quarter sized hail (1.00 inch in diameter) accompanied thunderstorms in Conejos County, Colorado.
Meanwhile, a strong trough of low pressure and waves of energy instigated scattered thunderstorm activity and rain showers across the Intermountain West and the Northern Rockies.
Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Sunday have ranged from a morning low of 30 degrees at Mammoth, Calif to a midday high of 105 degrees at Alice, Texas.
It was sunny on this date in 1991 at St. Paul Island, Alaska. This is not exciting until you know that the next 60 days were cloudy, with the next sunny day occurring on September 5th. When the sun finally came out, the island reported a daily record high of 55 degrees.