Weathercast for Wednesday, July 9, 2008

CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE BERTHA MOVES NORTHWEST IN THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC (DETAILS IN TROPICAL OUTLOOK BELOW)

PARTLY CLOUDY AND WARM WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH TOMORROW

HOT, DRY WEATHER LIKELY THIS WEEKEND

Partly cloudy and warm today with a 30% chance of showers or thunderstorms. High temperatures will be near 90. Expect southeast winds at 10-15 mph this afternoon. Tonight should should bring partly cloudy skies and mild temperatures with a 20% chance of scattered showers or thunderstorms. Overnight lows will range from the low-80's in Galveston to the upper-70's inland. On Thursday, we will have partly cloudy skies and warm temperatures with a 50% chance of showers or thunderstorms. Highs will be in the upper-80's. Expect southeast winds at 10-15 mph during the afternoon.

DISCUSSION

Rain chances will pick up slightly today and tomorrow as an upper-low moves westward across the Gulf of Mexico. Then, we should see rain chances begin to decrease as we head into the weekend. High pressure is expected to build into our area from the east bringing hot temperatures and more stable atmospheric conditions. Rain chances may begin to increase again by the middle of next week as the high weakens and shifts back east and a trough moves into the western Gulf. In other words, look for typical July weather over the next week or so.

ADDITIONAL IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS OF THE GALVESTON AND TROPICAL WEATHER AT LINKS FURNISHED BELOW/

THE 10-DAY WEATHER FORECAST GRAPHICS BELOW ARE PROVIDED BY ACCUWEATHER AND MAY OR MAY NOT REFLECT MY PERSONAL FORECAST FOR THE SAME TIME PERIOD

At 5 am EST, A weakened Hurricane Bertha was located near 23.5 N and 56.5 W. The hurricane was moving northwest at 10-mph with sustained winds of 75-mph and a barometric pressure of 987 MB (29.15"). Fortunately, most tracking models show the storm moving into the middle Atlantic and posing little threat to the Gulf. Elsewhere, no tropical storm formation is expected over the next 48-hours.

Visit the Galveston.com Hurricane Guide for tropical preparation information.

For more weather details and commentary - and to post your own weather-related questions - read Stan's Weather Wizard Blog on Galveston.com.

WEATHER 100 YEARS AGO TODAY: The low was 75 degrees, the high 84. 0.34" of rain was reported.

TODAY'S WEATHER TRIVIA:A tropical storm came ashore near Matagorda on this day in 1901. Winds reached 34-mph with 50-mph gusts on the Island and high tides brought extreme anxiety to residents still in shock from the 1900 Storm less than a year earlier. Flood waters reached 2-3 feet in downtown sections of the city, causing merchants to move items to higher locations during the storm.