This summer has been one of the hottest on record for much of upstate New York, but that could change tonight.
At dawn on Saturday, the mercury could drop to 40 degrees across much of the north of the state, breaking or approaching low temperature records for the last day of July. Binghamton is forecast to hit 47 degrees, beating the previous record of 2 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Other cities could be on the verge of a record: Syracuse is expected to hit 50 degrees, just 2 degrees warmer than the record set in 1965. Albany’s minimum forecast is 51; the record is 49 degrees.
Low temperatures are typical for early October, not late July.
The northeast will be so cold because, paradoxically, the west is extremely hot. The “heat dome” parked over the west and western plains is stopping the normal flow of warm air from west to east across the country. Cold air from Canada glides around the heat dome and to the northeast.
That has brought colder-than-normal air for upstate New York.
That general trend has been around for a few days now and is likely to last until early next week. Which makes tonight even cooler. The north of the state will have light winds and clear skies, ideal conditions to cool off at night.
The good news is that mosquitoes will stay away as they become inactive when temperatures approach 50 degrees.
Saturday would be sunny, with highs in the mid-70s, but clouds and rain would move through the night. Sunday could see heavy rain and thunderstorms.
The relatively cool trend will last until at least Monday. Normal highs this time of year are below 80 degrees, but much of the north of the state will not reach them until Wednesday or Thursday. After that, the heat gradually degrades in the west, allowing warmer and more humid air to flow back to the northeast. That could bring a repeat of the wet period that dominated most of July.
Last week was one of the hottest on record for some areas of upstate New York.
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