Mark your calendars for these two events. And heating up again soon

Most of you have already heard that we have not one, but TWO solar eclipses coming up that aren't too far from home. However, each one is a little different and the details of each are important if you're planning to make the drive. We are less than 100 days until the annular eclipse happening on October 14. 

What is an "annular" eclipse? - Two times every month, the moon has a point where it is slightly farther from the Earth (called apogee) and a point where it is closest (perigee). This elliptical orbit is the reason why the upcoming two solar eclipses will look different. 

October 14, 2023 (moon is farther away) - As the moon passes between Earth and the sun, about 91% of the sun will be covered (if you are in the path of annularity) which will stretch from Oregon to Texas. (See the map below). If you are wanting to drive, Albuquerque is a roughly 9-10 hour drive from Wichita and would put you right in the middle of the best viewing. Or you may opt for Midland, Texas which is about 8-9 hours from Wichita. 

As the annular eclipse reaches it's "maximum" (which will last for nearly 3 minutes for most locations), you would see a nice ring around the moon, but it won't be completely blocked like in a total eclipse. 

As you look at the map showing where the best viewing will be, remember it will START on the Oregon coast before reaching Texas by early afternoon. 

April 14, 2024 - This is the total solar eclipse that will be visible for a good portion of the country. Because the moon will be slightly closer to the Earth, it will block out the sun and lead to a 360° sunset on the horizon. Some of you saw the one back in 2017 and it was just stunning. I was able to view it from Beatrice and it's a day I won't soon forget. The clouds were a bit problematic, but they did part just long enough to give a nice view of the "ring of fire" - or the Sun's corona, which is only visible to us during a total solar eclipse.

What's up next?

The temperature forecast still doesn't look that bad at all considering how hot it CAN be and seeing how hot Texas has been - we can't really complain. The intense "heat dome" or upper-level high pressure will be in southern Arizona or northern Mexico, which keeps the scorching weather going well to our south. This is not uncommon for July. What is labeled as "active jet" is going to have our focus as this will help to bring more rain and storms to the region. 

A series of disturbances will come straight in from Colorado, PLUS we should have a mid-week front dropping into the area that hangs around for a few days. All of this should lead to additional storms and beneficial rain for areas that have been getting missed. We know there are still so many anxiously awaiting the moisture. I would expect Monday night-Wednesday morning (July 10-12) to have good chances.

Here's a preview of how much rain and where for the second week of July:

Eventually, this will change as the second half of July could be (and probably will be) much warmer. We move into the "dog days of summer" with an upper high pushing back toward the Rockies. This should allow for the heat to build up, and some of us will be back up to near 100°. I'm not sure it will completely shut off the rain, but chances may end up few and far between. 

Here's look at temperatures (compared to average) for the later stages of July. It definitely looks hotter, but again, not really out of the ordinary considering time of year. 

Have a great day.