Much Of East To Stay Steamy Into Middle Of August In Between Storms

As the dog days of summer continue, renewed heat and humidity will keep Easterners sweating into mid-August, while daily thunderstorms roll through the region, say AccuWeather meteorologists.

The steamy and stormy pattern stands in stark contrast to much of the western half of the nation, which will endure a hot stretch amid mostly dry conditions that are helping to fuel wildfires. People in the East may need to plan trips to pools, lakes and beaches around daily thunderstorms.

“The biggest thing that will limit how hot it can get will be daily drenching thunderstorms,” said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys. “Those storms, most likely to form in the afternoon and evening, can produce localized damaging wind gusts and flash flooding.”

Despite those storms, there will be a general uptick in temperatures through late this week, with parts of the mid-Atlantic and Southeast staying steamy right through the middle of the month.

Philadelphia, which recorded its 29th 90-degree-or-higher day on Tuesday, is forecast to reach that threshold a handful of times beginning Thursday and continuing into next week. At least one heat wave, defined in that part of the country as three or more consecutive days of 90 degrees or higher, could occur.

In Raleigh, North Carolina, Tuesday was a relatively cool day, with a high of just 83 degrees, 7 degrees below the historical average for the date. That break in the heat will not last, as a run of 90-degree days will begin later this week and may carry through the third weekend of August.

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Of course, it’s not just the heat, but the humidity. The same factor that will help thunderstorms bubble up each day will also raise AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures to dangerous levels at times.

“For most, it will feel at least five degrees above the actual thermometer reading through this hot stretch,” said Roys. “This equates to RealFeels in the upper 90s to around 100 degrees.”

Perhaps most dangerous will be the limited relief the nights will offer. Because of the high humidity, temperatures will fail to drop below the 70s overnight for most, with some urban areas perhaps even remaining 80 degrees or higher.

Research shows that average nighttime low temperatures are warming at a quicker rate than daytime highs, and that lack of relief at night can significantly contribute to heat wave mortality.

One area that could emerge relatively unscathed from the heat and humidity will be parts of the Great Lakes and northern New England, which should enjoy a few shots of cooler, less humid Canadian air. Saranac Lake, in the Adirondacks of New York, will be among the cooler spots, with daytime highs mostly in the 70s through mid-August.

The warmth will not be limited to just the East over the next few weeks. The West, still dealing with wildfires and smoke, will experience the hottest weather in the country, with triple-digit heat searing the Southwest deserts over the next week or more.

That record-challenging heat is then expected to shift into the central part of the nation for the middle portion of the month.