Hot, Hot, HOT, and TS Dean...

Did everyone enjoy today's hot weather?  If not, don't expect to like tomorrow much either.  Temperatures got up into the lower and middle 90's around the NRV today.  Tomorrow's high is expected to be around 94 for Blacksburg.  Little to no rain is expected over the next few days, just very widely scattered t-storms for tomorrow and when classes begin next week.

 

TS Dean is gaining strength just as predicted...

 

As of 5pm:

Location:  13.1N, 47.9W, around 910 miles east of the Lesser Antilles

Movement:  WNW @ 22mph

Max winds:  65mph

Minimum pressure:  994mb

 

It looks like Dean will take the southern route through the Caribbean and into the Gulf.  The Yucatan peninsula looks to be an area of potential landfall in about 5 days, but that can change dramatically.  If it does take this route, Texas would probably be where Dean makes landfall in the U.S., around Thurs of next week...  Maximum winds look to increase, and by the time Dean reaches the Yucatan, he could very well be a Cat 4.  With a Sea Surface Temperatures (SST) in the mid to upper 80s in the Gulf currently, Dean could easily regain strength and possibly swing NW after crossing into the Gulf.  BUT....this is still a good 6 days away before Dean reaches the Gulf, so the track can and will probably change by then...