Thunderstorms, Heatwave, Perseid Meteor Shower Peak: This Week's Weather

What does Mother Nature have on tap for us this week?

The second week of August will bring another heat wave, a chance of thunderstorms and the Perseid meteor shower peak.

Let's start with the heat first: "multiple days" of "excessive heat" are possible later in the week, the National Weather Service says. Specifically, make a date with your air conditioner on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. On those days, heat index values could get up to 105 degrees, the National Weather Service predicts.

But first, expect some thunderstorms mid-week. On Tuesday and Wednesday night, as well as Thursday and Friday during the day, there is a chance of thunderstorms.

Hopefully that won't get in the way of the Perseid meteor shower, which peaks this Thursday and Friday. This year, the Perseids are poised to offer a double feature due to what NASA calls an “outburst effect.”

“Under perfect conditions, rates could soar to 200 meteors an hour,” Bill Cook, who leads NASA’s Meteoroid Environments Office in Huntsville, Alabama, said in a statement. “Under perfect conditions, rates could soar to 200 meteors per hour.”

Every Perseid meteor is actually a tiny piece of debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle which disintegrate in flashes of light when they hit the Earth’s atmosphere. They’re called Perseids because they seem to originate from the constellation Perseus.

Will the skies be clear for viewing? Here's the forecast:

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 89. Northeast wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the afternoon.

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 69. Light south wind.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 89. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 8 mph in the morning.

Tuesday Night: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. South wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Wednesday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 90. South wind 6 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Wednesday Night: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 77. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Thursday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 93. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 76.

Friday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 93. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 76.

Saturday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 94. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Image: John Fowler via Flickr / Creative Commons