Northeast heat, humidity to build with AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures near 100 F
The Northeast is about to go from near-record chill to midsummer temperatures, with some cities topping 90 F and AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures near 100 before showers and thunderstorms arrive this weekend.
Conditions are remaining dry across the entire Northeast late this week, with 90-degree heat building throughout the region.
A burst of heat and humidity will build across the Northeast into the weekend, a stark contrast to the last two weekends of May.
By Friday, many areas will experience very warm to hot conditions with noticeably higher humidity — even though humidity levels will fall short of those typically experienced in late July and early August.
Widespread highs in the 80s are expected across the interior Northeast, while temperatures along the Interstate 95 corridor from New York City to Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., will reach the low to mid-90s. The mid-Atlantic heat wave will last two to three days.
The combination of intense sunshine, light winds and rising humidity will push AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit for several hours Friday and Saturday, and possibly Sunday, along the I-95 corridor in the mid-Atlantic.
Even areas in New England will trend much warmer and more humid from Friday to Saturday.
Compared to the final weekend of May, temperatures this weekend will be 20-25 degrees higher across much of the region.
The contrast will be even greater compared to Memorial Day weekend, when daytime highs in many areas challenged record-cold maximum temperatures. This weekend is projected to be 35-40 degrees warmer across portions of the Northeast.
Low humidity, breezy conditions and abundant sunshine are rapidly drying topsoil across the Northeast once again. Although soaking rain over the past few weeks has eased dryness in some areas, drought conditions can redevelop quickly as temperatures continue to rise.
In early June, the sun can evaporate 0.15 to 0.25 of an inch of water per day from moist loam soil under average conditions. That equates to roughly 1 gallon of water from every 6-10 square feet of exposed soil. Evaporation rates increase further when temperatures rise well above average, as forecast later this week.
The dry stretch is likely to end during the weekend as showers and thunderstorms develop, especially across the interior mid-Atlantic and New England.
GET THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
•Have the app? Unlock AccuWeather Alerts™ with Premium+
Showers and thunderstorms may affect the Saratoga Springs, New York, area Saturday, where the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of horse racing's Triple Crown, will be held. In addition to the risk of downpours, lightning could cause delays. Only if an approaching cold front slows down would showers and thunderstorms likely hold off until after the race.
Showers and thunderstorms are forecast to gradually spread southward and eastward through the weekend, bringing an end to the dry spell and early-season heat in some locations.
Any time cool air slices into a zone of hot and humid air, there is the potential for robust thunderstorms.
Some storms Saturday afternoon and evening from Indiana to New York are likely to become severe.
On Sunday, similarly, some of the storms that occur from Kentucky to Delmarva will be locally severe. The main severe risks will be hail, downpours and localized damaging wind gusts for the region.
Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
Report a Typo
