Northeast experiencing 'slice of nice' in wake of sweltering heat

Nicole LoBiondo
·4 min read

Refreshing air has moved into the Northeast after a wave of summerlike warmth sent the mercury to record levels this past week. Temperatures could be as much as 15-25 degrees Fahrenheit lower on Saturday when compared to Tuesday in some mid-Atlantic cities.

Although the heat that impacted the Northeast and mid-Atlantic was not considered the season's first official heat wave, many cities had at least one day with temperatures of 90 F or higher.

New York City recorded a high temperature of 93 degrees Tuesday afternoon, while a few record highs were shattered in Newark, New Jersey, and in Bridgeport, Connecticut, where the thermometer read 98 F and 94 F, respectively. The previous record in Newark was 96 and set back in 1997, while the previous record of 91 in Bridgeport had stood since 1987.

In order to be officially considered a heat wave, an area must reach 90 degrees or higher for at least three consecutive days.

"While the rest of the country deals with weather issues that will make the weekend subpar, a slice of nice is developing for much of the Northeast with seasonably warm air and comfortable humidity values through much of the area," AccuWeather Meteorologist Dean DeVore said.

The cooler and less humid conditions are due to a potent cold front that moved through the region on Thursday and sparked severe weather in the mid-Atlantic.

This same front was responsible for hundreds of severe weather incidents over the North Central states earlier last week and also produced severe weather on Wednesday over the eastern Great Lakes and portions of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic.

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"While this batch of air is not as crisp as some batches of cool and dry air from earlier this spring, it should be enough to bring many areas a comfortable weekend with little or no chance of rain," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski explained.

After storms moved through the Northeast and mid-Atlantic through Thursday night, afternoon high temperatures in cities like New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., will top out on Saturday in the upper 70s to lower 80s, which is right around the average for early June.

Residents will also notice a drop in humidity levels with overnight lows in the 50s for most East Coast cities by Saturday night when compared to the overnight lows in the upper 60s to low 70s felt on Wednesday.

Many places may not need their air conditioners running this weekend, which should help residents save on energy costs and help put less strain on the power grid, forecasters say.

AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said a few showers may persist in northern New England, but most of the time should still remain free of rain.

Those looking to get outdoors will have the right weather to do so, and for the most hardcore of winter weather enthusiasts, Mother Nature will allow for some very late-season skiing in parts of New England.

Snow lovers across the Green Mountains in Vermont could continue to enjoy the last of this past winter's snow as cool, overnight conditions will allow Killington Mountain Resort in Vermont to remain open this weekend. This is Killington's latest closing weekend in the past 25 years.

Killington officials said in a blog post that they started making snow back on Oct. 17 and stockpiled snow through March 31.

"Snow depths were in excess of 30 feet on most of the trail once snowmaking efforts concluded. Our world-class grooming team has worked hard to preserve that snow since then, and here we are skiing and riding right into June, for our latest closing date since the record-breaking 1996/97 season," Killington officials said.

High temperatures in Killington this weekend are forecast to settle at 74 F this weekend, which is near the average high of 73 F for this time of year.

"For people beginning their vacation and heading to the Atlantic beaches this weekend through next week, there may be a period of rough surf and strong rip currents due to the track and strength of a forecast tropical storm at sea," Sosnowski explained

Rough conditions may be most noticeable from the Carolinas to New Jersey but will also be possible as far to the north as southern New England as well during the first part of the week.

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