Taste of fall to visit Great Lakes, Northeast this week

Millions will experience a fall preview this week across the Northeast and Great Lakes with weather more common for October rather than August.

Mother Nature will be skipping ahead several weeks on the calendar this week in the Great Lakes and Northeast with conditions more typical of late September or October rather than August.

Cool air, but not necessarily dry

A few showers will continue to dampen the ground across portions of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine on Wednesday.

Any rain that falls would be beneficial due to the ongoing drought in the region.

High temperatures will be well below the historical average throughout the region, even in locations where the sun is shining and there are no showers. In areas where the sky is clear and the wind is light, record lows will be possible.

"Away from the lakes, the air mass will be cool enough to cause temperatures to challenge record lows. For example, Charlottesville, Virginia, could challenge a record low Wednesday night," noted AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski.

The cool nights will allow air conditioners to rest and give residents and visitors to the region a chance to open windows. In some places, it may get too chilly for some to keep their windows open, and in some areas, people may turn on their furnaces for the first time in months.

While chillier air is not rare in late August, the expanse and duration of the cooldown is uncommon.

"For anyone not ready to say goodbye to summer, temperatures may get back closer to historical averages by the Labor Day weekend. That said, extreme heat does not appear to be in the forecast.

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