News weather

Heat to increase throughout week

Those who missed the sun's rays over the rainy weekend will have a chance to catch them all this week, as high pressure brings clear skies, heat, and humidity to southern New England. After a dreary weekend during which a cold maritime air mass kept the temperature below 65°F (18°C), this week will present a return to summertime heat. As high pressure builds over the Atlantic Ocean, a deep low pressure system will sweep its way eastward from Saskatchewan into Ontario and Quebec. The result will be a tightening pressure gradient between the high to our southeast and the low to our northwest. This pressure gradient will act as a conveyor belt, with its southwesterly winds bringing hot, humid air up from the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States.

Today will likely be the most enjoyable day of the week to be outside, as sunshine will be abundant, but the peak of the humid air mass will have yet to arrive. Dew points will stay near 60°F (16°C) today, but will increase throughout the remainder of the week before peaking in the lower 70s °F (near 23°C) on Friday. The oppressive heat and humidity at the end of the week will be coupled with the threat of thunderstorms, especially late Thursday through the day on Friday.