Northeast to get brief break from August heat, humidity before storms return
A refreshing break from heat and humidity arrives in the Northeast before the Bermuda High fuels hotter temperatures, sticky air and an increasing risk of thunderstorms and a return of flash flooding later this week.
A pickup truck briefly went airborne after crossing a heat-buckled roadway in Greenville, Texas, on July 30. Local city officials said extreme heat caused the pavement to buckle overnight.
A brief break from August heat and humidity will arrive in the Northeast this week before the familiar combination of heat, sticky air and thunderstorms returns.
An area of high pressure moving in from central Canada will briefly settle over the Northeast, pushing away the downpours and gusty thunderstorms that dumped 1-6 inches of rain and triggered localized flash flooding from Sunday into Monday.
People from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia will notice improving conditions first, followed by New York City. Flooding downpours will continue across Boston and eastern New England through late Monday evening and, in some locations, into the overnight hours.
Humidity will begin to drop across the central Appalachians Monday evening then fall substantially along the mid-Atlantic coast and in New England on Tuesday after patchy morning fog dissipates.
The best stretch for outdoor activities, and perhaps to give the air conditioner a break, will be from Monday night through Tuesday night in the Appalachians and from Tuesday into Wednesday closer to the coast.
Overnight lows will dip into the 40s and 50s F from the mountains of West Virginia to New York's Adirondacks on both Monday and Tuesday nights. Along the Interstate 95 corridor, lows will generally range from the mid-60s to the lower 70s.
From Wednesday to Friday, after the cool high-pressure area fades, a familiar weather pattern for August will set up over the western Atlantic--the Bermuda High. The clockwise circulation around this large weather feature will direct hot, humid air from the southwest Atlantic and the Gulf through much of the Eastern Seaboard and the Appalachians from the second half of the week.
Daytime temperatures will climb into the upper 80s to mid-90s across much of the mid-Atlantic and New England later this week and into the weekend. The heat will be accompanied by the muggy air that sometimes fits the misunderstood description of the "dog days" of August. Overnight lows along the I-95 corridor will remain stuck in the mid-70s to near 80 F.
As the heat and humidity build, thunderstorms will become more common. Storms should remain spotty at first, but they will likely become more widespread heading into the weekend. If that trend continues, the risk of localized flash flooding could increase first over the Appalachians before spreading toward the mid-Atlantic and New England coast.
Farther south, from Florida to the Carolinas and parts of Virginia, humidity is unlikely to drop much this week. Showers and thunderstorms will remain frequent and could become even more widespread later in the week as moisture increases from both the Gulf and the Atlantic.
The same pattern across the Southeast should prevent extreme heat and may hold daytime temperatures slightly below the historical average, but humidity will remain uncomfortably high.
Beachgoers should use caution, as recent heavy rainfall may have washed bacteria and other pollutants into rivers and coastal waters. Follow any local swimming advisories or beach closures.
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