Is Summer Over?

We all know that the unofficial end of summer is Labor Day, and that's less than 2 weeks away.  With the recent cooler weather, it's natural to wonder if this is the end of the hot summer weather (BTW, we will reach around 90F on Thursday).

First, we'll talk about the upcoming weekend, which will not feel like summer at all.  Our current weather pattern has cool air in the Northwest and the Northeast, with warmer weather in the middle of the country.

But notice the cool area to the northwest of us, up by Juneau.  That is set to come crashing into our area by Friday and hang out in the West for the weekend.  Here's the forecast weather map for Friday night.  Not very summer-like.

Saturday will likely remain in the 70s (possibly upper 60s) with a chance of showers from Friday afternoon through Sunday.  

Amounts will vary widely with this kind of showery pattern.  Here's the National Blend Model's forecast for the three day period.  Some folks will see nothing, a few folks could see a quarter inch.

For next week, another weather system will affect our area.  But this low will pass by to the north of us.  This pattern brings more wind than rain, but some light rain showers on Tuesday or Wednesday are possible.

Then, to answer our original question, summer isn't over.  High pressure will build over western Canada and the Pacific Northwest.  This pattern will persist past Labor Day, which would mean a return to at least the lower 90s with dry weather and sunny skies.  It's worth noting that while the European and Canadian models agree on this, the US models have the high pressure farther to the west, keeping un a bit cooler.

Deer Park averages 2 days of 90+F weather in September, so this could be a little above average this year.  The Climate Prediction folks don't see a hot September for us though.