To review my thoughts on this topic please go back and read my posts dated June 8th and July 16th. So far we have come up short of the 100 degree mark in in central Mississippi. I have consistently forecasting upper 90s through today with highs near 100 Friday-Sunday. So far temperatures have struggled to climb past the upper 90s here while just to our east Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Montgomery and Atlanta have all exceeded 100 degrees. All of the South is under the influence of the same weather features so you would not expect much difference. But there is a difference. The ground is drier and browner to our east where the drought is worse. Remember, we were blessed with over 7 inches of rain in the month of July and that "greened up" the state. When the grass is green there is some energy used for evaporation which is a cooling process. Our green grass is helping keep the temperature down just a tad. Now I know 98 is hot and it feels hotter than that with the humidity. With the weather pattern not changing and the heat forecast to persist, the central Mississippi landscape will dry, allowing us to threaten the century mark. No matter what...it is hot and it looks like a long August!