Record Setting Heat in the Northeast and New York City Metro Area Today and Tomorrow

The weather maps show us why it is so hot. There is very little airflow in the upper levels of the atmosphere (at 500 mb or approx. 18,000 feet) and a very slow moving ridge of high pressure has produced very stagnant, relatively dry air that has produced record heat across most of the entire eastern half of the nation. On the upper-air maps, the fastest jetstream winds occur where the contours are closest together such as those indicated over Canada. Therefore, the is very light even at about 18,000 ft. over much of the continental United States.

Central Park set a record high for today of 104 degrees and Newark, NJ set an all-time record high of 108 degrees. Heat indices ranged from 110 to 120 degrees in the New York metro area. It was up to 102 degrees in Boston (heat index 110) and Hartford, CT. An Air Quality Alert continues through Saturday for the entire region.

The weather maps indicate showers (green shading) associated with a cold front that will cool the Ohio Valley, the Great Lake States, the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States on Sunday and early next week. The southern plains and Gulf Coast states will remain hot and humid. The models indicate that by 84 hours or on Tuesday, the jetstream at 500 mb will shift southward and the winds will shift from to the northwest across eastern Canada and the Northeast and that result in cooler temperatures. Try to stay cool during this record heat wave and stay indoors if you can. Have a great weekend.

George Wright is a Certified Consulting Meteorologist for Wright Weather Consulting, Inc. Our website is WrightWeather.com. George is also a meteorologist with ABC News and Cablevision News 12.