April 24, 2013: Seasonable, Dry Pattern Ahead

Forecast Highlights:

Warm temperatures briefly surged into parts of the region today, resulting in widespread high temperatures in the 60s and 70s. A cold front will move through tonight, producing a few showers followed by slightly cooler temperatures for Thursday and Friday. A high pressure will remain parked over the region, resulting in sunshine and seasonable temperatures persisting through the weekend into most of next week.

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Tonight - Friday: Some Rain, Then Slightly Cooler

As of 2pm, temperatures across the area were in the mid to upper 60s north and west of NYC, low to mid 60s in NYC, and the mid 50s to low 60s in Long Island and southern CT. Temperatures are expected to continue rising at a slower rate for the next few hours, peaking in the upper 60s to low 70s north and west of NYC, mid to upper 60s in NYC, and the upper 50s to mid 60s in Long Island/S CT. A weakening cold front will move through the area tonight; the heavier showers over PA and NY states are expected to weaken and stay mostly to the north, but with scattered showers mostly amounting to less than 0.2 inch expected especially north and west of NYC.

Any showers should clear the area by Thursday morning, with mostly sunny skies, a light WNW wind, and highs reaching the low to mid 60s inland and mid 60s across the rest of the area. Friday is also expected to be mostly sunny with a light east/NE wind and similar high temperatures compared to Thursday.


Weekend - Next Week: Seasonable, Dry

A weak disturbance will track towards the Ohio Valley, reaching the Southeast US by the weekend into early next week where widespread cloud cover and showers are expected. Meanwhile, an active storm track will persist over the northern Plains into central Canada while a low pressure becomes cut off over the western Atlantic Ocean, resulting in ridging building aloft over the region and a high pressure parking over the Northeast US states which will provide the region with a relatively long stretch of sunshine and seasonable temperatures, lasting through the weekend and most of next week.

Mostly sunny skies will continue through Saturday and Sunday with highs reaching the mid to upper 60s inland and upper 60s to low 70s for the rest of the area. Towards next Monday-Wednesday, the high pressure is expected to shift west, ending up west of the ideal location for warmth in the area which will keep the warmest temperatures to the north and west. Seasonable temperatures will continue with mostly-partly sunny skies and highs in the mid 60s to low 70s across the area. As a cold front slowly approaches from the west by the mid-late week, given the amplified ridging in place the warmest temperatures will stay to the north and west, with temperatures perhaps slightly cooling down in the area especially further east but still remaining close to average.

There is uncertainty at this time regarding what happens to the next system as it reaches the central US by the late week, with possibilities ranging from the cold front progressing through, to the cold front stalling out in the central US with a high pressure either persisting over the region or a back door cold front sliding through, but widespread rain is not expected to return into the region
at the very earliest until late next week.