Northeast, Midwest to partake in extended break from midsummer heat, humidity
Heavy rains, strong winds and lightning knocked out power to more than a half-million customers along the eastern seaboard and in the midwest on Monday evening.
Following the recent summer swelter, millions in the Northeast, Midwest and South will continue to get a break from the heat and high humidity during the heart of the summer.
The pattern will allow many to keep the air conditioners and fans off and windows open to let in some fresh air. The pattern will help to balance out high electricity usage from this past weekend.
Late July is typically the hottest and most humid part of the summer for much of the United States. However, a long-lasting southward dip in the jet stream will allow cooler and less humid air to not only continue to advance, but also have staying power in much of the Central and Eastern states.
Daytime highs typically range from near 80 degrees Fahrenheit over the northern tier to near 90 over the interior South and along the mid-Atlantic coast with high humidity during late July. However, the cooler air that has settled in over the Midwest, Northeast, mid-Atlantic and South is well short of those levels.
A pocket of cool air aloft will allow a few puffy clouds to build during the afternoon and evening hours over part of the Northeast.
Some of these clouds may get tall enough to produce spotty thunderstorms.
High temperatures will be 10-15 degrees lower, on average, for the latter part of this week, when compared to this weekend.
While the sun is still intense during late July and will negate the refreshing part of the air during the midday and afternoon hours, the biggest difference will be in the form of lower humidity and cooler nights.
Nighttime lows will range from the lower 50s over the upper Great Lakes, northern New England and the central Appalachians to near 60 in the Ohio Valley and the middle 60s in the major cities of the mid-Atlantic and Interstate 95 corridor during much of the balance of this week.
The strong sunshine will still allow outdoor summer activities such as swimming, golf and baseball to go on in relative comfort.
While AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures will be 15-20 degrees Fahrenheit lower when compared to levels around 100 to 110 F this past weekend, it can still feel quite hot in the sun in urban, suburban and countryside locations during the middle of the day.
A storm moving across southern Canada may break the stretch of rain-free weather for part of the Midwest later this week.
A batch of showers, thunderstorms and perhaps severe weather will advance from parts of the northern Plains to the Great Lakes.
Motorists are reminded that the interior of vehicles can become dangerously hot in a matter of minutes, even during a cool wave in the summer. Never leave children or pets unattended in vehicles for any length of time.
Download the free AccuWeather app to see the outlook for temperatures and any more rain for your area. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
