Sunshine on the Way for the Holiday Weekend for the Midwest and Northeast

Posted: May 26, 2023 9:30 am

It is going to be a great weekend for outdoor activities for the bulk of the Midwest and the Northeast. Just in time for the Memorial Day weekend, this part of the U.S. is going to enjoy a long stretch of dry and warm weather.

Here is a look at your weekend forecast.

Who Will See the Pleasant Weather for the Holiday Weekend?

Residents of the Midwest and Northeast can start firming up plans for those special Memorial Day parades and family barbecues. The weather forecast for the unofficial start to summer is looking good for those Americans with outdoor plans to commemorate the holiday.

This includes the upper portions of the mid-Atlantic, the majority of the Midwest, the Great Lakes, and New England.

A large swath of high pressure will be to thank for the nice weather. This zone is setting up over the Great Lakes and into New England, effectively blocking the moisture from the storm system in the southeastern corner of the country from migrating northward and spoiling the long weekend.

While the northern edge of this storm system is expected to encroach into the Delmarva Peninsula, Virginia, and West Virginia, its journey will likely stop there.

The wettest part of the U.S heading into the weekend is forecast to be through the Carolinas, particularly along the coastal areas. Up to 8 inches of rain could fall over the weekend across this stretch of coastline.

Cloudy conditions are in store for much of the central Appalachians, the Ohio Valley, and the mid-Atlantic. However, the dry air in position will serve to mitigate the amount of rain that creeps up into this area.

Temperatures Expected to Climb Throughout Weekend

The unrelenting sunshine will help to warm things up, reversing the impacts of the chilly air mass from Canada that has been in place for the last few days in the interior Northeast and the Great Lakes.

For instance, after hovering in the upper 50s and 60s to end the week, the mercury will climb into the mid 70s on Saturday in Chicago before landing in the low 80s for Memorial Day. You will find a similar trend spreading eastward as the weekend continues.

Spectators at the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday will enjoy dry conditions with high temperatures climbing into the upper 70s during the peak afternoon heating hours. The abundance of sunshine will send the real feel readings into the 80s.

Moving into the Northeast, the coastal areas will see cooler temperatures due to the influence of the breezes coming off from the water. You can expect temperatures to be at about the historical seasonal average along the New England coast and down into the Delmarva Peninsula.

Water temperatures will remain chilly with readings in the 50s and 60s for this part of the Atlantic.

It will be a beautiful weekend for tourists in New York City and Boston. Both major metropolitan areas will enjoy seasonable temperatures for most of the extended weekend.

This pattern of dry and warm weather will hold on into next week for most of the Midwest and the Northeast. Chicago will settle in the 80s for the balance of the week with this warmth slowly spreading to the east.

While Washington, D.C. will be dealing with cooler readings thanks to the cloud cover expected for this weekend, the mercury will rebound to near 90 degrees by Thursday and Friday.

Agricultural Interests Worried About Lack of Rainfall

Although the absence of rain is a welcome forecast for travelers and those with outdoor plans this weekend, the dry soil is not good news for farmers. The lack of moisture makes it harder for farmers to operate plowing equipment and to prepare the fields for planting and harvesting.

A good part of the interior Northeast has been in the crosshairs of ongoing drought conditions. This is becoming concerning to those with agricultural interests in the region.

In addition to parts of the Northeast, the Midwest corn belt has been particularly dry over the last few months. According to the most recent data from the U.S. Drought Monitor, much of the Plains is under the designation of an exceptional drought, spelling trouble for farmers and ranchers.

The long-range forecast is offering hope for the agricultural industry with more rainfall predicted for the middle of June. However, this is not guaranteed nor will it likely be enough to completely erase the drought in some areas.

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