Warm, humid conditions with smoke over the Great Lakes and the Mid-Atlantic continue this morning. An area of rotation or positive vorticity is moving through Pennsylvania at 500 mb and has generated thunderstorms with heavy downpours across Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The rain is expected to produce flash flooding in some areas with over one inch of rainfall expected. The smoke will be decreased by the rain. The visibility was reduced to 1.5 miles in smoke late Thursday afternoon at Newark Airport and the photos below show how thick the smoke was in and around the city. Sunny weather with lower humidity and minimal smoke is expected tomorrow for the World Cup Final at the Meadowlands in New Jersey.
George Wright is a Certified Consulting Meteorologist for Wright Weather Consulting, LLC. Visit our website at WrightWeather.com. Follow George Wright on Twitter @gwweather.
Graphics and photos from Thursday and Friday, July 16-17, 2026:
Graphics for today, July 18, 2026:
