Cooler days ahead for Northeast with storms, wildfire smoke
Cooler, less humid air will bring relief from Northeast heat, but thunderstorms return to end the week while Canadian wildfire smoke continues to affect sky conditions and air quality.
Wildfire smoke from Ontario, Canada, fills the Boston atmosphere on July 15.
A dip in the jet stream will break the short-lived heat in the Northeast in the coming days. While the new weather pattern will usher in cooler, less humid air, wildfire smoke will remain a periodic problem as long as fires continue to burn in south-central Canada.
Earlier this week, a large dome of high pressure responsible for the heat was centered over the north-central United States. By midweek, it had expanded eastward.
The heat dome will retreat and reorganize over the Rockies from this weekend into next week.
Portions of upstate New York and northern New England already experienced lower humidity Wednesday. The drier air spread southward into northern Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey, New York City and southern New England Thursday.
Dew points, which represent the saturation point of the atmosphere, fell from the mid-60s and lower 70s into the 40s across the northern tier of the Northeast and into the 50s to near 60 across the upper mid-Atlantic.
While temperatures will be slightly lower across much of New England Friday, AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures will still be extreme over the Ohio Valley and the mid-Atlantic.
Storms to return after rain-free stretch
The generally dry conditions this week have allowed construction crews to catch up on projects. Farmers have also been able to cut and dry hay. That favorable stretch will soon come to an end.
"More of a regionwide temperature transition will take place from Friday to Saturday and with that will come more widespread showers and thunderstorms," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.
Storms will develop across the Midwest Friday before expanding into the Appalachians and the mid-Atlantic Friday night and Saturday.
Severe thunderstorms are forecast Saturday from parts of the eastern Great Lakes through the central and southern Appalachians to much of the mid-Atlantic coast. The main threats will be flash flooding and strong wind gusts. A brief tornado or two also cannot be ruled out.
"The storms on Saturday afternoon and evening in parts of the Northeast could be very disruptive for travel," Anderson warned.
"Fortunately, the storms should be moving along, which will reduce the duration of heavy rainfall at a given location," Anderson added.
Although drier air will gradually advance from northwest to southeast across the region Sunday, there may be more pop-up showers and thunderstorms from the Appalachians to the Atlantic coast.
This weekend, highs will generally be in the 80s across the Northeast with some mountain locations peaking in the lower to middle 70s.
Wildfire smoke to be a major problem in Northeast
"Multiple large wildfires continue to burn northwest of Lake Superior, sending vast plumes of smoke into multiple levels of the atmosphere," Anderson said. "Many of these fires may have been started by lightning."
Large wildfires burning in the Northern U.S. and Canada on July 15, 2026.
Steering winds have carried the smoke across the Great Lakes and into part of the eastern U.S. this week. The heat dome has trapped some of the smoke over the Upper Midwest for extended periods.
"Prevailing breezes will continue to guide that smoke southeastward through this weekend," Anderson said. "Much of the time, the smoke will remain high in the atmosphere, dimming the sun. On other occasions, the smoke can mix down to ground level, obstruct the visibility and create health issues."
Swirling pockets of smoky and cleaner air will lead to fluctuating air quality downwind of the fires. As a result, air quality will change from day to day and may fluctuate throughout the day.
Depending on the amount of smoke in the air, temperatures may be held back by several degrees during the day, as the sun's rays will be less intense.
"The showers and thunderstorms forecast late this week and weekend may help to temporarily filter out some of the smoke," Anderson said. However, thick smoke will still be seen across portions of the Great Lakes, with a hazy sky extending into the mid-Atlantic into Sunday.
People with respiratory ailments will be most affected by the conditions, but many sensitive individuals may smell the smoke and could experience eye, nose and throat irritation.
Next week, steering winds may shift enough to direct most of the smoke away from the Northeast, although some could linger over parts of the Midwest and occasionally reach the Southeast.
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