End of Summer Will Feel Like Fall for Much of Eastern U.S.

Record-challenging temperatures are settling in across the bulk of the Great Lakes and the Northeast as the summer season comes to its unofficial close this holiday weekend. How chilly will it get in the days ahead? Read on for all of the details.

Fall is in the Air for the Great Lakes and the Northeast

A blast of cooler air will penetrate a large swath of the country from the Midwest and over to the East Coast through the Labor Day weekend, signaling the arrival of fall. Temperatures will dip as low as 15 degrees below the historical average for the end of August for many areas of this region.

Daytime highs will top out in the 60s and the 70s, a stark change from the extreme heat of the summer. The overnight lows will depart the most from normal readings, potentially setting new records along the way. This will translate to lows that land in the 40s and 50s.

The cooler weather pattern made its initial appearance earlier in the week when a cold front ushered in chilly Canadian air to the Midwest and the Northeast. Wednesday morning dawned with dramatically cooler temperatures, ranging in the 40s for the interior portions of the Northeast.

The forecast is calling for another cold night leading into Thursday. The chance of new record low readings could migrate as far south as Georgia.

Slight Warmup on Thursday Will Not Last Long

While temperatures will rebound slightly during the peak afternoon heating hours on Thursday, the mercury will still hover at levels below the historical average. A secondary influx of cooler air is waiting to push into the eastern U.S. by late in the week and into the Labor Day weekend.

The zone of high pressure coming down from Canada will provide plentiful sunshine for the Northeast over the holiday. However, the clear skies will also mean chilly temperatures after the sun goes down. While the biggest news will be the cold nights, record-cool daytime highs could also fall.

For example, Buffalo could record its lowest daytime high on Friday with a forecast high of 63 degrees. Coincidentally, the record for this date in history is also 63 degrees, set in 1982. The city along Lake Erie will top out at this reading despite the emergence of sunshine in the latter part of the day. Winds out of the northwest at 10 to 15 mph will amplify the chill.

The coolest readings of this stretch are expected on Saturday morning across the northern reaches of New England. Some of the coldest communities could even see a bit of frost as they start their weekend.

It will be warmer in areas closest to the coast. New York City will reach the 80-degree mark on Thursday and Friday before slipping into the low 70s for a high on Saturday. The greatest chance of an errant rain shower in the Big Apple will be on Friday afternoon.

Moving to the north, Boston is expecting a rocky day of weather on Friday with widespread rain showers and thunderstorms. Despite the cloud cover, highs will manage to make it into the mid 70s. It will be a breezy day in Bean Town with winds out of the south at 10 to 20 mph. Saturday will bring drier conditions to the largest metro area in New England; however, temperatures will remain grounded in the low 70s. The readings in the 70s will persist through the rest of the weekend with mostly sunny skies.

Forecasters are warning those hoping to get out on the Great Lakes over the long weekend to be aware of the threat of waterspouts. Cold water funnel clouds have been noted over Lake Erie for the last few days. This is a common occurrence later in the fall months when the cool air circulates over the warmer lake waters.

Most of the central and eastern U.S. will see dry weather over the course of the holiday weekend. The primary exception to the dry pattern will be over parts of New England. Residents in Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire should be prepared for spotty rain showers over the next few days.

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