Quite a July weekend in north central Ohio. Searing heat and high humidity today gave us a heat index of 103 degrees.
And now Mother Nature wants to wrap up the weekend with a big bang. At least in theory.
The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for a wide area of the state, including Richland, Ashland, Crawford and Knox counties.
The watch began at 4 p.m. and continues until 11 p.m. It came on top a day-long heat advisory that was issued between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.
A severe thunderstorm by definition is a thunderstorm that produces one inch hail or larger in diameter and/or winds equal or exceed 58 miles an hour.
The good news is the storm could temporarily break the spine of the oppressive heat that’s settled across the area for the past several days.
The relief would be temporary as temps soar back into the high 80s the next few days, though thunderstorms are possible, especially Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
