Heavy Rain From the Central Plains to the Mid-Atlantic; Heat Wave Begins This Weekend

Strong to severe thunderstorms and heavy rain will impact portions of the central Plains into the Upper Midwest and the Mid-Atlantic through the weekend. A stretch of unusually hot and humid weather is expected across portions of the central U.S. and the Southeast beginning this weekend and continuing through next week. The heat may reach dangerous levels, particularly mid to late next week. Read More >

From August 11th until the 14th, the annual Perseid meteor shower will be visible over the night hours, but the best viewing times are yet to come. The viewing will be at its best on August 13th between 12 AM and 6 AM EDT. There are several reasons for this. First, the Earth is passing through the core of Comet Swift-Tuttle's debris field. The dust that makes up the debris field is the size of sand. This dust as it burns entering the Earth's atmosphere produces the streaks of light (the "shooting stars" or meteors) we see. Second, the near new moon will make lit heavenly bodies easier to see due to the darker conditions, and to top it all off, most of Indiana and Kentucky will have clear skies.

For best viewing, leave the city lights, and head to the country. Direct yourself to the constellation Perseus which is the direction the meteors will start their streak. The higher the meteors are in the sky the better they will appear to us on the ground. Enjoy the show.

Meteor rates above 50 per hour are expected.