Temperatures and humidity levels will be slashed this week in the Northeast before an uptick in moisture breeds showers and thunderstorms by the weekend.

New England will benefit the most from dry and cooler air this week. A push of air from eastern Canada will nose southward at times this week.

Temperatures to change little from day to day

Temperatures are projected to be within a few degrees of average for the rest of the week from New England to much of the mid-Atlantic.

Average highs this time of the year range from the middle 70s F in northern New England to the middle to upper 80s in eastern Virginia.

The coolest nights in the pattern will be across New England, where temperatures will dip into the 40s across the northern tier and the 50s farther south during the week.

New England to experience biggest break in humidity

"The most substantial slash in humidity has already occurred across much of New England and upstate New York," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson.

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"Farther south, humidity levels will retreat from their early-week highs through Thursday."

"Humidity levels will bounce back in the mid-Atlantic with the most noticeable uptick in humidity in New England this weekend," Anderson said.

Downpours to focus on mid-Atlantic first then spread northeastward this weekend

An active storm track will lead to a batch of showers and thunderstorms from much of the mid-Atlantic and central Appalachians to the southern coast of New England into early Thursday.

It is possible that parts of Virginia and West Virginia remain unsettled most days right through this weekend. However, most communities in these two states will still get several hours of rain-free weather each day.

During this weekend, a larger storm is forecast to roll in from the Central states.

While this storm may lose some of its punch in terms of drenching rainfall from its peak over the Mississippi Valley, there is still the potential for multiple drenching showers and thunderstorms as it reaches the Northeast this weekend.

"Of the two weekend days, Saturday is likely to be the wettest over much of the region," Anderson said.

"Sunday may be less rainy, but thunderstorms are more likely to bubble up and become heavy during the afternoon and evening hours."

Downpours to deter some outdoor plans, hinder travel

When it rains, it usually pours in the summer months of June, July and August, and the weather this week will be no exception.

Outdoor plans may be forced indoors, and some MLB games may be delayed or postponed in Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., Cleveland, Boston and New York.

Since some tropical moisture will be involved in both the midweek and the weekend storms, downpours that persist for more than a few minutes may cause flash and small stream flooding.

The greatest risk of flooding downpours is likely to be, but not limited to, West Virginia, western Virginia, western Maryland, Ohio and western Pennsylvania where it will rain more often through this weekend.

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