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Hottest Week of the Year? Not This Time

Hottest Week of the Year? Not This Time
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By West Kentucky Star Staff
Aug. 12, 2017 | PADUCAH, KY
By West Kentucky Star Staff Aug. 12, 2017 | 09:45 AM | PADUCAH, KY
Going by the numbers, the second week of August is typically the hottest week of our entire year, but this summer it's not even close.

According to the National Weather Service, average daily temperatures peak at 90 degrees in Paducah from August 6 through 13.  For 27 days of the month, the record high temperature has soared well over 100 degrees.

But so far, Barkley Field has only seen the temperature reach as high as 90 degrees three times in August. In Cape Girardeau, they haven't hit 90 since July 28.

One reason for the prolonged moderate temperatures may be a weather phenomenon called an "omega block," where a massive area of high-pressure air stalls over a large section of North America, and causes the jet stream to bend around it. Depending on which side of the jet stream you are, you get a steady diet of cooler air from the north, or steamy Gulf moisture and heat. 

Of course, nothing lasts forever, and as the stubborn omega block breaks down, the jet stream could straighten out, move north and draw hot humid air back to our region for the latter days of August.

Even so, the average daily highs will steadily decline for us in the coming weeks. Paducah's average high for Labor Day is 86 degrees; 84 on September 11; and 81 degrees by September 18.

Paducah's average high gets down to 79 by September 25.

On the Net:

Paducah Weather Service webpage
Paducah Daily Average Temperatures
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