Temperature roller coaster continues in Northeast as summer looms

Cooler weather during the next several days may have some Northeast residents looking to grab a hooded sweatshirt or jacket only days ahead of the official start of summer.

Across some interior areas, the cooler, refreshing air settled in on Tuesday, producing below-normal temperatures in spots. For example, Pittsburgh only reached 75 degrees Fahrenheit compared to a normal high of 80 F Tuesday. Syracuse, New York was also several degrees below normal, recording a high of 71 F. Normally, Syracuse expects a high of 77 F on June 15.

Much of the Northeast felt more like the middle of May than the middle of June on Wednesday. The region has been riding the temperature roller coaster since its first heat wave of the season subsided about a week ago.

The coolest locations occurred across northern New England and upstate New York, where many areas did not get out of the 60s on Wednesday. Most other areas had high temperatures in the 70s.

With ample sunshine, it will still felt warm during most of the day. Since the first day of summer is just a few days away, the sun is about as strong as it gets at any time of year. Anyone planning lengthy periods of activity outdoors will still want to apply sunscreen and stay hydrated.

Despite the daytime warmth, humidity remained low. This dry air will allow temperatures to fall quickly after sunset. While low temperatures were mainly in the 50s at the coast, inland areas fell well down into the 40s early Thursday morning. Some of the coldest valleys in northern Pennsylvania could dipped into the middle 30s. This includes locations such as Bradford, Pennsylvania, located near the New York border.

A repeat performance is expected Thursday and Thursday night, but slightly higher temperatures are expected Friday. A more significant change is likely Friday night and Saturday.

"After a brief cooldown, a shift in the wind to the west and southwest on Friday night and Saturday will be ushering warmer and more humid air into the Northeast," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Carl Babinski.

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Some of the same areas that fall into the upper 30s Wednesday night may not fall much below 60 Friday night. Along with the higher temperatures and more humidity will come a chance of showers and thunderstorms.

Summer officially begins at 11:32 p.m. EDT on June 20.

"As a weak cold front located in the eastern Great Lakes on Saturday morning presses to the south and east during the afternoon and evening, there should be a few widely separated showers and thunderstorms east of the Appalachians," stated Babinski.

This front will largely fall apart and the warmth will remain in place on Father's Day, although the humidity will be lower.

"In the wake of that front, Father's Day is expected to be nearly just as warm as Saturday along much of the I-95 corridor between Philadelphia and Boston, but it will also be turning less humid with plenty of sunshine," Babinski said.

A stronger cold front is expected to approach on Monday. Not only will this provide a higher chance of showers and thunderstorms, but this may also help to draw tropical moisture northward.

"Some rain is possible early next week in the eastern third of the country, but how much falls and where will be largely dependent on what happens to a potential tropical system currently located in the Gulf of Mexico," explained Babinski.

Regardless of how much rain falls, much cooler and less humid air is once again expected in the wake of the front by the middle of next week.

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