Boston

Heat Wave Continues: Temperatures to Push 100 Degrees Sunday

Excessive heat warnings are in effect through Sunday as stifling heat grips the region

It was hot across New England Saturday — it felt like it was over 100 degrees — but the actual temperature stayed in the 90s.

Whenever we have these massive heat domes (high pressure systems), thunderstorms often fire on the periphery. These thunderstorms can and often do turn into massive complexes called Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCS). These thunderstorms can be very damaging, in fact wind gusts up to 105 MPH were recorded in parts of Wisconsin Friday night and nearly 150,000 customers were without power (a huge number in an area which doesn’t experience tropical storms or hurricanes).

However, those thunderstorms are weakening as they roll east. The air aloft (locally) is too warm for them to survive. Even though we don’t see rain from them, we can still see the leftover clouds — convective debris. Those clouds can keep temperatures down a couple of degrees.

Regardless, for much of New England, it was the hottest day of the year so far. The other reason temperatures never made it to 100 degrees — high dew points. When the air is humid, it’s difficult to warm.

Sunday looks to be the hotter of the two days. The convection that developed across the Great Lakes was already moving through Michigan towards New England by Saturday afternoon.

Any leftover clouds will quickly clear Sunday morning. Low temperatures will start off around 80 degrees in Boston — that’s dangerous if you don’t have air conditioning as your body doesn’t get the chance to cool off. With a jumping off point of 80 degrees, temperatures by 8 a.m. could approach 90 degrees. The last time Boston reached 100 degrees, in 2011, the 8 a.m. temperature was 90 degrees. We will come very close to the century mark.

A cold front moves through late Sunday into Monday. Northern New England should see a couple of thunderstorms Sunday, central and southern New England will remain dry until Monday. The front will stall to the south and that will keep the weather unsettled into the day on Tuesday. Numerous showers and thunderstorms will be possible. It will also be significantly cooler, low 80s Monday and 70s on Tuesday.

High pressure returns mid to late week. The weather will improve dramatically. We are expecting sunny skies and temperatures in the low 80s with low humidity. Enjoy! This beautiful weather looks to continue into next weekend.

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