June 21, 2012: Severe Storms Possible Tomorrow

Forecast Highlights:


- Storms, possibly severe, to end heat tomorrow
- Mostly sunny, dry weekend expected; temperatures in 80s
- Colder pattern returns by early next week with some rain
- After today, no additional big heat in sight


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Due to a busy schedule, the 5-Day Forecast page was not updated tonight. A full discussion will be posted tomorrow morning with more information on severe weather for tomorrow.

If necessary, storm updates will be posted on Friday afternoon/evening, both in the blog and in the new NYC Area Weather page in tweeter.

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Today's Observations:

Another day of heat and humidity was observed with 850mb temperatures up to 20-21C along with mostly sunny skies. Temperatures were very similar to those of Wednesday, ending up slightly warmer in some areas, reaching the mid 90s inland, lower to mid 90s in Long Island/S CT, and the mid to upper 90s in the immediate NYC area. Newark came very close to 100 degrees, reaching a peak temperature of 99 degrees. Record highs were broken in LaGuardia, JFK, Islip and Bridgeport; Newark came within 1 degree of its record of 100 degrees set in 1953.


LaGuardia, NY
98 degrees (previous record: 97 degrees - 1953)
JFK Airport, NY
97 degrees (previous record: 95 degrees - 1988)
Islip, NY
95 degrees (previous record: 93 degrees - 1988)
Bridgeport, CT
96 degrees (previous record: 95 degrees - 1953)



Tomorrow's Outlook: Severe Storms Possible


With a cold front approaching, temperatures will warm up again tomorrow morning, peaking early in the upper 80s to lower 90s inland and in Long Island/S CT, with lower to mid 90s in the immediate NYC area and parts of Long Island closer to NYC. With the cold front, occasional thunderstorms, some of them strong/severe, are expected to affect the area especially after 1 PM. These storms may be capable of producing heavy rain, strong wind gusts and potentially hail. The storms are expected to end in the evening hours with clearing skies and dropping temperatures overnight.


Forecast Overview:


With the cold front moving offshore, mostly to partly sunny skies and temperatures in the lower to mid 80s will return for the weekend. By Monday, however, a strong upper level low will drop into the region as another ridge builds into Canada, once again locking a trough into the region while keeping the heat well to the west. Occasional rain and possibly thunderstorms are expected on Sunday night into Monday, followed by drier conditions for Tuesday and Wednesday with occasional sunshine, a risk of scattered showers, and below average temperatures, only reaching the lower to mid 70s for highs across most of the area. While no significant heat will build into the region, a gradual moderation in temperatures is likely for the second half of next week. Stay tuned for more information on the longer range with tomorrow's update.