Hot and humid conditions will prevail today and tomorrow in the Mid-Atlantic region leading to high Home Run Forecast Index values.
Hot weather has dominated the scene this week in much of the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic region and now the humidity has increased to very uncomfortable levels. The worst of this heat spell comes this weekend in the Mid-Atlantic region with the combination of high heat and humidity leading to very favorable conditions for baseballs to travel and high Home Run Forecast Index (HRFI) values. Indeed, the HRFI was at its highest level in several spots on Friday indicating most favorable conditions for hitting Home Runs and some of the results were as follows: in Philly with a 10 HRFI there were 5 Home Runs, in Chicago (Cubs) where the index was a 10 there were 3 Home Runs, in Cincy, where the HRFI was a 10 there were 5 Home Runs.
In games today and tomorrow, there will be many games featuring Home Run Forecast Index values of 10 suggesting the ball can fly as was the case on Friday night. There will be thunderstorms to deal with in some areas late Saturday and in numerous areas late Sunday signaling the arrival of a frontal system to the Mid-Atlantic region and temperatures and humidity levels for much of next week should be back at more comfortable levels.
The Home Run Forecast Index is displayed on a 1-10 user-friendly scale where 1 represents the least favorable weather conditions for baseballs to travel and 10 the most favorable. The HRFI is calculated using a sophisticated two-pronged that factors in numerous weather parameters including temperatures, humidity, pressure and wind direction and wind speed. The two most impactful weather parameters in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic this weekend are the heat and humidity…both of which are very high. These weather conditions are resulting in numerous “10’s” at big league stadiums both today and on Sunday…in other words, it’s “hittin’ season”.
Meteorologist Paul Dorian