Heat, Humidity, Storms In Northeast: Fall Not Here Yet

A thunderstorm erupts a couple
summers ago in this toward the west
across Lake Champlain from Burlington,
Vermont. Similar scenes are likely today.  

Psychologically, many of us decide it's autumm once Labor Day is passed.

For climatologists, and many other weather geeks like me, September 1 marks the start of meteorological autumn.

In the United States Ohio Valley and Northeast, Mother Nature has not yet received the "Autumn Has Arrived" memo.

Yesterday, September 1 in this region was rather hot and humid. Today, it's more of the same with the strong risk of storms. A few of the storms in the entire Northeastern quarter of the nation could end up being severe.

Here's a great example of summer extending into September this year, which it does most years, to be honest.

Yesterday, the high temperature in Burlington, Vermont was 88 degrees. It was hotter than any day in August, and the hottest day since July 22.

Similar readings are possible today.

With a weak cold front coming in, though, summer like showers and thunderstorms are a good bet. A few of them could be severe anywhere from the Great Lakes, down to Kentucky and the on up the East Coast all the way through New England.

As is always the case when severe storms are possible, only a small minority of towns and cities in the area will get whalloped by severe weather, with damaging winds and giant hail. Most of us will just get garden variety stuff.

Still, it's always a good idea to keep an eye to the sky and get inside when thunder starts and the sky begins to darken.

According to the Storm Prediction Center, the greatest chances of severe storms today runs from eastern Kentucky, on up the Appalachians to central New York.  But as I said, even areas outside this band do have a shot of some severe weather.

The rest of the week in the Northeast will remain warm, just not as warm as today.

It looks as if Mother Nature will finally receive the Autumn Memo toward the end of the week and the weekend, when many areas from the Great Lakes to New England will begin, once again, to feel a bit of autumn in the air.