Taste of fall for South to be replaced by late-summer heat

Drier air (blue) moves into the southern U.S. on Sept. 9, 2021.

(Weather Bell)

Parts of the southern U.S. got a taste of fall this week with an uncharacteristic reduction in humidity, but that looks to end next week.

A series of cold fronts that passed through the country this week have brought some cooler temperatures to the South as well as a reduction in the amount of moisture in the air. This had made for some pleasant mornings in places like Houston, where dew points have been dipping below 70 degrees and morning lows have been near 70 this week.

Another cold front looks to clear the Gulf Coast on Friday, bringing with it a reinforcing shot of cool, dry air. Temperatures on Friday in the South will range from near 70 degrees in Kentucky to near 90 degrees in coastal Texas.

What really signals fall in the South is an atypical reduction in humidity. Dew points are forecast to drop into the 50s for much of the region. Anything below 60 degrees is considered pleasant.

The forecast dew points for Sept. 10, 2021, in the South. Blue represents lower dewpoints and drier air.

(Weather Bell)

Fall fling ending for now

This crispness for the South seems to be coming to an end soon, with an increase in humidity forecast next week. Dew points will jump back into the 70s as a large slug of tropical moisture moves inland from the Gulf of Mexico.

The Climate Prediction Center forecast shows a good chance at above-average temperatures for the bulk of the country during the next two weeks.

The Climate Prediction Center's six to 10 day outlook on Sept. 9, 2021, shows a good chance of above average temperatures (red) across much of the U.S.

(CPC/NOAA)

Fall will eventually win out over summer in the South, but it could be October before that happens.