Is This Spring or Summer???

Even though we are only in the middle of April, we are talking about summer like temperatures that will be making an appearance later in the week. Here is a look at 850mb temperatures for Thursday afternoon. Remember that these temperatures are about 5000 feet above the surface and are in degrees Celsius.The reason why we look at 850mb temperatures is that it gives us a good idea at what the potential temperature could be for any given day. If there is good mixing in the atmosphere, then the 850mb air can be driven down to the surface. On its way down, the air compresses. Compression is a warming mechanism and heats up the air at a constant rate, 10 degrees Celsius per kilometer. So traveling 5000 feet downward, the air can roughly warm up about 25 degrees Fahrenheit. For example, the air at 850mb is 20 degrees Celsius as it is expected to be on Thursday. Add 25 degrees Fahrenheit to that temperature and we have the possibility of making it to 93 degrees on Thursday. Now, there are obviously a lot of other things that play into a high temperature. But, if conditions were perfect on Thursday, 90's are possible.

~KDLT Meteorology Cody Matz