Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Natural Gas: "Massive heat dome forecast to bake much of U.S. by late next week"

August futures 2.746 +0.012

 
From the WaPo's Capital Weather Gang:

A huge, hot area of high pressure is forecast to develop over the central United States next week, which may result in the nation’s most significant heat wave of the summer.

Forecast models, across the board, suggest this dome of hot air will be massive, affecting most of the country, except the Pacific Northwest.

It is too soon to say exactly how hot temperatures will be, but initial indications are that the central United States may face some of the country’s hottest weather with respect to normal. Record heat is certainly a possibility, although exactly how many records fall and where won’t come into focus for several more days.

The worst of the heat wave may still be seven to nine days away. Forecasts this far into future carry with them substantial uncertainty, although confidence that a significant event is likely is boosted in this case due to forecast model agreement.

The source of the predicted heat dome is the desert Southwest. By early next week, the dome will shift into the southern plains. It is forecast to reach maturity by the middle and latter parts of next week when it may sprawl from the Rockies to the Appalachians....MORE