Friday was partly to mostly sunny, similar in temps to Thursday, and dry. The Friday maximum temperature reached 80.3° @ 1617, while the Friday minimum temperature was 58.3° @ 0646. The dew point temperatures lowered a bit from Thursday, ranging from a high of 61° @ 0844 down to a low of 54° @ 1923. The barometric pressure rose a bit from yesterday, reaching the lowest value of the day of 29.90″ @ 0000 up to a high of 30.09″ @ 2237. The relative humidity rose a bit from Thursday on the high side, ranging from a high of 94% at 0725 down to a low of 46% at 1846.

Remember now you can get the VP2 data on Weatherlink. You can access the data through http://www.weatherlink.com/user/walrusman444

I am posting daily to weather underground. My ID is KMDROCKV200 and my station is called “Gardens of Traville.” Data is online, normally just about in real-time. The web address for my data on weather underground is: https://www.wunderground.com/personal-weather-station/dashboard?ID=KMDrockv200#history/ I contribute daily to cocorahs as Rockville 2.8 WNW, Station ID MD-MG-115 on https://www.cocorahs.org/ Please remember that Weather Underground precipitation data reflects what is recorded automatically through the tipping bucket VP2 gauge. I use the data I post to cocorahs as my “official” precipitation total each day.

Friday finished out mostly sunny by sunset, with seasonably warm temperatures. It remained mostly clear (with some high clouds at times) overnight into Saturday. Saturday itself has been sunny and quite warm, temps reaching the upper 80s but with clouds increasing mid-afternoon into the early evening. Strong storms have been building and moving through western PA this afternoon, and have now moved somewhat SE into northern/western Maryland. We have a 60 POP for scattered thunderstorms on Saturday night and scattered showers after midnight. Our area is under a severe thunderstorm watch till midnight. On Sunday we should cool off considerably under mostly cloudy skies with a 60 POP for scattered thunderstorms, highs in the upper 60s and lows in the upper 50s. Monday should find partly cloudy skies, warmer with highs in the mid 80s and lows in the mid 60s and a 50 POP for more scattered PM thunderstorms. Tuesday should be mostly cloudy and very warm, with highs in the upper 80s and lows in the mid 60s, and a 90 POP for scattered PM thunderstorms. Thursday should be cloudy and not as warm, highs in the mid 70s and lows in the mid 60s, with an 80 POP for thunderstorms. We appear to be in a persistent battle zone (along a stationary frontal boundary) fluctuating from mild to very warm temps and continuous threats of thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening hours during most of the coming week.

On the Channel 4 radar at 2105 shows numerous storms and showers over the 4 state mid-Atlantic region, but especially in the southern half of Pennsylvania moving into northern Maryland in some spots. Also the Baltimore area has a number of strong cells affecting them currently. There is a tornado watch out for parts of the region, and severe thunderstorm warnings for the Baltimore area and spots to the E/NE. Storms and showers will continue to develop and move through parts of the region during the entire evening and into the overnight.

As of 2105, the data from the VP2 (coming from the ground radiation shield about 4 feet off the ground just under and out from the balcony) and the Lakewood WX Bug station are as follows:

Cloudy, warm, and slightly wet (just began) – looks like a potentially stormy, wet Saturday evening….

Station Relative Location Temp  RH   DP     BP      Wind High/Low temp for Friday
VP2           Ground          73.84 70% 63° 30.01″R   NA    80.3°/58.3°

The total precipitation in the cocorahs gauge was 0.00″ through midnight Friday. The VP2 tipping bucket rain gauge under my balcony recorded 0.00″ through midnight Friday

Friday’s precipitation was 0.00″
May precipitation is now 0.13″
Year-to-date precipitation total is 11.87″

WX Bug Lakewood 4500 ft, 74° 63% 60° 30.07″R NW 5 G NNW 21
                            140° from station                       82°/56°
The Lakewood rain gauge reported 0.00″ of precipitation on Friday. May is now showing 0.39″ for the month and the 2018 year-to-date (YTD) amount is 15.20″. I still believe at times the great disparity between the Lakewood WX Bug station precipitation amount total for the month and year and my cocorahs gauge based data is that the Lakewood precip values are estimated/adjusted from radar.

At 2400 obs Friday night the temperature from the VP2 was 68.4° RH 64% BP 30.06″F DP 55.7°
Partly cloudy, warm at 2400 Thursday

Good evening from the now cloudy/threatening-looking, warm, dry (for the moment) home of the walrus early on this Saturday eveningToday’s featured image shows some interesting cloud interactions from about 1945 EDT Saturday evening which only yielded a trace. I love the contrasting light in the image. Looking N. Winds were gusting out of the North.