AFTER A VERY WARM AND HUMID WEEK, COLDER WEATHER HAS SETTLED INTO THE MID-ATLANTIC STATES... THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC CONTINUES TO REMAIN ACTIVE

This past week felt more like early September than late October. Temperatures were well above normal soaring into the 80's. Humidity levels were very high considering the time of year. We had two rounds of heavy rainfall. Over two inches fell in my backyard! One reason for the very warm weather this past week was that exceptional storm that slammed the Northern Plains states and the Great Lakes region. You've probably already heard about how low the barometric pressure was with that system. It had a lower pressure than the infamous storm that sunk the Edmund Fitzgerald in the 1970's. Winds gusted to hurricane force in that region. The counter-clockwise flow around that storm brought up the warm air as well as the moisture from the south. The storm also dragged a cold front through our region which has dropped temperatures back to seasonal levels. The weather this weekend will be fantastic and the trick-or-treaters shouldn't have a problem Sunday evening. The week ahead looks like it will start out nice but unsettled weather is possible by mid to late week. I'll have more on that in my Sunday morning post. The tropical Atlantic has two storms now. Shary became a hurricane and will be moving out into the open Atlantic. Tomas is the storm to watch as it is expected to become a major hurricane which may threaten the Caribbean Islands. Check back in on Sunday for an update.