Saturday’s Storms Bring Another Damaging Hail Threat To Black Hills

A day after severe thunderstorms brought baseball-sized hail to the town of Custer, South Dakota, additional severe thunderstorms capable of large hail are possible around the Black Hills again Saturday afternoon and early evening.

Daytime heating will generate moderate amounts of instability that will aid in the development of isolated to scattered thunderstorms after 3pm this afternoon. A brisk westerly flow 20,000 to 30,000 feet up combined with a light southerly surface wind will generate a moderate amount of wind shear over the north-central High Plains creating an environment that is once again conducive to large hail. Similarly to Friday, the strongest storms will have the potential to produce hail between golf ball and baseball sized.

The threat for storms over the High Plains will diminish after 10 pm, local time.

Farther south, scattered thunderstorms are expected to develop across Kansas this evening and continue into the overnight hours. Locally strong winds are possible within any storm, but widespread severe weather is not anticipated.

Weekend of July 30-31st: Nationwide Weather Forecast

Saturday

SatForecast_7_30

The last weekend of July will bring heavy rains to some parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. After heavy rainfalls in much of the same region earlier on Friday, a short break in rain is expected Friday evening. However, as a front stalls out on Saturday, heavy rain will begin again with local flash flooding possible from northern Virginia to central Pennsylvania. One to 2.5 inches of rain is expected to fall on Saturday, although much of the heaviest rain will be extremely localized.

Elsewhere, rain will be persistent throughout much of the day Saturday in the Northeast and Delmarva region. Scattered showers and storms are possible throughout almost the entire eastern half of the country. In addition to rainy conditions, many residents who have experienced hot and humid temperatures all week will see temperatures drop back down to normal for this time of year. In the West, much of the area will be mostly sunny, although Arizona will likely see rain and storms Saturday and could experience localized flash flooding with the most intense storms.

Sunday

SunForecast_7_31

The flash flooding threat will shift further north on Sunday, stretching across much of the state of New York. Rainfall amounts will be similar to Saturday, with one to two inches of rainfall in some areas. For the East, rain will persist in much of region throughout the day and into the evening. In the Intermountain West, isolated showers and thunderstorms will occur later in the day, while the West remains dry.

Want a hyper-local forecast for where you live? Download the MORECAST app for your weekend weather forecast.

The Curious Case of Hurricane Cesar/Douglass

Hurricane Douglass or Hurricane Caesar from July 1996

Twenty years ago, North America witnessed a rare meteorological phenomenon that had only been recorded ten times previously. Things began with a tropical depression near the Lesser Antilles that was named Cesar on July 26, 1996 before quickly strengthening to a hurricane.
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