CHARELSTON, W.Va. — The oppressive heat is back in West Virginia for the dog days of August. After several weeks of seasonal temperatures, this week’s weather has taken a turn upward with hot days and even hot nights. The pattern should be in place through the end of the week according to James Zvolensky with the National Weather Service in Charleston.
“We’re going to be significantly above average temperatures for this time of year on Thursday and Friday. That’s going to subsequently increase the heat index. We’ve got to be mindful of how hot it’s going to be,” he said.
The heat index is a calculation put out by the National Weather Service which takes into account not only temperatures, but also due point and is more of what it “feels like” outside. It’s equated to the “wind chill factor” during the winter time.
The culprit here is a stalled high pressure system over the Midwest.
“It’s this big blocking pattern that has basically stationed itself out there. Usually, high pressure follows pretty fair weather and clear skies along with hotter temperatures especially during the summer time,” said Zvolensky.
There’s a warm front Thursday and a cold front on Friday which could create the possibility of precipitation. There’s a large cold front moving through Friday night and into Saturday and should cause the temperatures to drop considerably on Saturday for a comfortable day.