*** Paul Piorek is editor and publisher of Paul's Local Weather Journal for southwestern Connecticut ... Paul is the on-air meteorologist at WICC 600 AM and 107.3 FM ... Paul is a New York Emmy award winner (2007), five-time Emmy nominee, and four-time winner of the Connecticut Associated Press Broadcasters' Association award for Best TV Weathercast (2006, 2008, 2009, 2012) ... Paul was voted Best Local Television Personality by the readers of Fairfield County Weekly Magazine (2012) ... Paul was inducted into the Housatonic Community College Hall of Fame and received the Distinguished Alumni Award (2012) ... The local weather journal is a two-time winner of the Communicator Award of Distinction (2012 & 2013) ... Paul is currently a full-time teacher of Earth Science and Mathematics in Fairfield ... Follow Paul on Twitter @PaulPiorekWICC ...

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Viewer's Photos Tell the Weather Story

A powerful cold front, as expected, pushed through southwestern Connecticut late yesterday bringing two rounds of intense thunderstorms. The storms delivered locally heavy rain and gusty winds. Nearly one inch (0.80") of rain fell at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford, bringing the monthly total close to two inches (1.81").

The high temperature climbed to 89 degrees at 3:14 p.m. before the storms brought gusty Northwest winds of 25 to 30 miles an hour and a peak wind gust of 36 miles an hour. As a result, the temperature dropped nearly 20 degrees in five hours. One of our viewers, Lori, took this photo of a rainbow in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport following the first thunderstorm.


The second round of thunderstorms brought heavier rain during the late-eveing hours. Once the storm exited, skies cleared and a Northwest wind delivered much drier air. Dew points dropped into the upper 50s at daybreak this morning, and it was certainly more comfortable. Another viewer sent this photo of a beatuful sunrise behind the sparkling water fountain at Commons Park at Harbor Point in Stamford.


Today will be the best day of the week. We will enjoy mostly sunny skies, lower humidity, and a warm afternoon with daytime highs in the low-to-mid 80s. Tonight will be clear to partly cloudy and mild with a low in the 60s. Tomorrow will become partly sunny and a little more humid with a high in the mid 80s. Thunderstorms are likely tomorrow night and early Friday in advance of hotter air which will arrive by the end of the week.

Paul