Central Park officially marked its first heat wave of the season on Wednesday as highs soared back into the 90s for the third consecutive day.
But we are in for a big cooldown starting Thursday and continuing Friday. We’ll see highs 30 degrees below what the peak heat was on Tuesday.
Tuesday brought record-breaking temperatures across the entire tri-state. Every major weather observation site in the region saw daily records fall. Some even set record highs for the month of June.
At 99 degrees, Central Park not only broke a record, but it delivered temperatures we have not seen here in over a decade.
The extreme heat was the result of high pressure parked over the eastern half of the US. In effect, it acted just like a pressure cooker, locking the hot air in place. But the high is finally weakening and shifting away from us, allowing a front to dip to our south, delivering showers, storms and a much needed drop in temperatures.
Wednesday night, the cooler air spills in and we wake up to a more of a spring-like morning on Thursday. By afternoon, temperatures will be peaking in the mid to upper 70s.
And that’s just the beginning. Friday’s highs will only be in the 60s in many places in the tri-state. And humidity will be low, too. You might actually need a sweater!
Unfortunately, these refreshing spring-like temperatures won’t come with blue skies. It will be mostly cloudy, with some pop-up showers and storms – far from a washout, but you’ll want to keep the umbrella nearby.
If the idea of 60s already has you wishing for warmer temperatures, don’t worry. The cool-down is going to be very short-lived.
Highs return to the 80s by the weekend and will stay there through next week. And bonus: No 90s!
July begins next week, too, with Independence Day arriving next Friday. It’s still a long way a way, so expect a little wiggle room in the forecast, but right now we’re forecasting a nice summer day for your barbecue and fireworks plans: Hot and rain-free.
