Temperature roller coaster on tap for the Northeast, with drought to continue
The typical ups and downs of fall are expected in the Northeast this week, but there will be more warm days than cold and the growing drought will continue to worsen.
After an October without rain in much of Pennsylvania, dried-up earth remains where part of Green Lane Reservoir used to stand.
Last week's record-breaking heat in the Northeast was whisked away by a cold front on Friday, but the front brought little rain to the parched region. This week will bring more temperature swings, but little in the way of rain.
"It's been over a month without measurable precipitation in Philadelphia and with no rain on the horizon, the streak will continue," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Emma Belscher.
Philadelphia last measured rain on Sep. 28, when 0.11 of an inch fell. October 2024 was the first month the city had no measurable rain since recordkeeping began in the 1870s. The previous driest months on record were October 1924 and October 1963, when 0.09 of an inch fell.
While New York City did have measurable rain in October 2024, only 0.01 of an inch was recorded. This also made it the Big Apple's driest month on record, narrowly surpassing the previous record of June 1949, when 0.02 of an inch of rain fell.
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Further exacerbating the drought has been temperatures well above the historical average. Although the sun is far less intense now than during the summer, little to no rain for a month or more will always cause a drought to grow worse. AccuWeather forecasters say that another significant warmup is on the way this week.
"High temperatures will be 15 to 25 degrees above the historical average and some places will easily break records," noted Belscher.
Winds will be lighter than last week, and humidity will be higher, but there will still be some fire risk given the recent lack of rain and more record-challenging warmth. In addition, many of the leaves are now on the ground. The dry leaves can be fuel for any fires that do start.
Following that warmup, another cold front is expected to approach on Wednesday. While this will bring rain to the Ohio Valley and as far east as western New York and western Pennsylvania, it will follow the pattern of its predecessors. As it approaches the I-95 corridor, the rain will fall apart.
"Drought conditions will continue to expand across the area, particularly in the I-95 corridor, where virtually no precipitation has fallen since September," said Belscher.
Temperatures following the front will likely remain slightly above the historical average. However, the record-challenging warmth will end.
Temperatures could rise again late week before another cold front moves through, although once again, it will not bring much in terms of meaningful rain.
"Temperatures will be on a roller coaster ride this week as by the late week, they return to the 50s and 60s F for most," said Belscher.
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