Temperature roller coaster, and finally some much-needed rain, on the way for the East
October can be a month of extremes, and the Midwest and Northeast will experience it all in the coming days: warm afternoons, frosty mornings and desperately needed rain.
Drought conditions are hitting agricultural industries especially hard, but the effects are far-reaching in the Northeast this fall.
The parched Midwest and Northeast finally got a drink of water in the form of rain, and temperatures will fluctuate wildly from near-record heat to a frosty chill through the week, say AccuWeather meteorologists.
"The extended stretch of dry, summerlike conditions is coming to an end as a cold front is set to sweep in conditions more typical for early October this week, along with some rain," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham.
From summertime warmth to a fall chill
Even though the calendar reads October, temperatures more typical of July roasted the Plains and Midwest since late last week. This warmth built into the East over the weekend and into Monday, but its hold has come to an end.
As a cold front swept through, a change to more typical, autumn temperatures arrived by Monday in the Midwest and Great Lakes. Temperatures will plunge in the East into Wednesday. High temperatures are expected to fall by as much as 20 degrees over the span of two days in cities such as Baltimore, Boston, Cleveland and Pittsburgh, resulting in much more seasonable conditions for the middle and end of the week.
These temperatures in the 50s, 60s and lower 70s will feel much more appropriate for leaf-peepers in the region this week. Fall foliage in parts of the Midwest, upstate New York and northern New England was already at peak this weekend, according to reports.
Some much-needed rain is also ahead
Since the middle of summer, rain has been hard to come by across large swaths of the Midwest and East, leading to increasingly dry conditions. Fortunately, for those pining for some wet weather, Mother Nature will provide that into Wednesday.
The front brought beneficial rain across many of the drought-stricken areas across the Midwest and Northeast. "However, it will not be enough to erase the drought conditions", AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said.
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Weekslong dry streaks came to an end Tuesday night for cities such as Albany, New York (Sept. 25), and will come to an end early Wednesday in cities such as New York City (Sept. 28) and Philadelphia (also Sept. 28).
While the rain is not expected to be heavy enough to cause widespread flooding, there can be some instances of ponding on roadways which can slow travel, especially during commutes. A few thunderstorms embedded in the rain will also cause heavy rain.
There will also be a hidden danger. "It has been more than a week since the last rainfall from the Midwest to the East, so oils have collected on roadways," pointed out AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Chad Merrill. "When rain mixes with these oils, the roads will become more slippery than normal."
A bigger cooldown may be coming in mid-October
While the cooler weather arriving through midweek will be noteworthy, it may give way to another, more subdued warmup by the upcoming weekend. After that, AccuWeather's team of long-range forecasting experts is watching for an even bigger drop in temperature some time around the middle of the month.
"There may be a more notable cooling trend around Oct. 15-19," said Merrill. "Global weather patterns are lining up to bring a few days of below- to near-average temperatures and possibly a hard freeze that will end the growing season in parts of the Great Lakes and interior Northeast."
The pattern leading to this roller coaster in temperatures in the Midwest and Northeast will unfortunately not come with much beneficial rain, but with gusty winds that can raise the fire danger.
"Unfortunately, winds will be rather breezy just ahead and immediately behind this month's fronts," pointed out Merrill. "With the ongoing drought and plenty of fuel moisture, such as dry leaves, there will remain a risk for wildfires to develop and spread."
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