When will the Northeast get relief from the heat and humidity?
Relief from the relentless humidity and heat is on the way for millions in the Northeast, but how far-reaching will it be and how long will it last?
RealFeel® explains not only how it feels based on temperature, humidity and wind speed but also other factors such as sunshine intensity and shade. This is available on the free AccuWeather app.
For many of those who have grown tired of the endless days with high humidity and soaring temperatures in the Northeast, a little break is on the way for the start of the weekend, AccuWeather meteorologists say.
Since the middle of June, humidity levels have been rather high for much of the mid-Atlantic, central Appalachians and southern New England, with only a day or two where conditions were comfortable enough for working outdoors or exercising. New England fared a bit better, with a few more breaks from the humidity.
AccuWeather meteorologists are tracking a large batch of cooler and less humid air, that was centered over the northern Plains at midweek and shifted toward the Great Lakes on Friday.
Ahead of the cool push, thunderstorms that erupted over portions of Virginia and North Carolina brought a spread of wind reports into Friday evening.
Strong mid-July sunshine will go to work on the cool air mass by the time it reaches the Northeast on Saturday. But with much lower humidity levels when compared to the stretch of days, lasting weeks in some areas, even those who yearn for summer conditions may rejoice.
Highs will be mainly in the 80s for the Northeast, which may seem like little change, but with lower humidity and perhaps a breeze, it may feel cool in the shade for some on Saturday.
Temperatures will drop to their coolest levels in weeks in New England and the coastal mid-Atlantic on Saturday night.
At the full extent of the cool air, lows will be in the 50s and 60s over parts of the interior Northeast and the 60s to near 70 in the Interstate-95 mid-Atlantic.
Along with the slash in humidity levels and temperature, the atmospheric conditions for flooding downpours will be taken away briefly.
Because the cool air mass will be taking more of an east-southeastward track, rather than south-southeast, the temperature and humidity drop will be less noticeable to non-existent over the Ohio Valley, southern Appalachians and the lower part of the mid-Atlantic. Much of this zone may have to wait until the end of the month or possibly sometime in August for a break.
Respite from heat and humidity is often brief during the middle of July, and this break will be no exception. Look for humidity levels to climb in the Midwest on Saturday and Saturday night and Sunday over much of the Northeast.
The best bet for outdoor plans with dry weather for the Northeast as a whole will be on Saturday.
Along with the uptick in humidity during the second half of the weekend will come the increasing chance of drenching showers and thunderstorms and the potential for flash floods.
In the long term (for the latter part of July into August), a major pattern change will evolve, with waves of cool air and lower humidity levels outweighing bouts of heat and steamy air in the Northeast. The transition to that pattern could be stormy, however.
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