Unusually-for-the-season heat is coming to the tri-state area, with highs in the 80s by Wednesday and warmer forecast as the week progresses. A nice summer feeling, but one that raises concerns about the forest fires it generates in our region.
Wildfires broke out in New Jersey a day ago in Brick, Howell Township and Teaneck, as firefighters battled a 2,500-acre wildfire in Ocean County. The latter began Tuesday night and quintupled in size by dawn on Wednesday. A mandatory evacuation order has been issued for residents of 170 structures in the immediately affected areas.
Rafael Pujols with the details.
Another 75 structures were considered at risk. Traffic alerts are still in effect. And the risk is continuous.
The combination of high pressure, super dry air, and a light breeze again lead to an increased fire threat on Wednesday. A red flag advisory is in effect for much of Connecticut, and fire watches remain in effect for all five boroughs of New York City and much of New Jersey. Learn more about red flag advisories (and check out the latest weather alerts here).
The dry spell continues with at least three more days of sunny skies, along with temperatures rising, rising, and hitting the 80s starting Wednesday and running through Friday.
Some areas can exceed 80 degrees on Wednesday, and temperatures will reach 80 degrees on Thursday and Friday. The Friday forecast for New York City is 85 degrees, near average for early July (minus humidity).
Most of the record highs for Friday were set in the 1940s. We should be within a degree or two of hitting those highs for Central Park, LaGuardia, and JFK airports, as well as Bridgeport and Poughkeepsie.
We don’t expect another bout of rain until late rains for some on Saturday. More widespread showers are expected on Sunday. Then we have cooler temperatures and prolonged showers on Monday and a strong reality check arrives on Tuesday, with highs expected in the 60s and partly sunny skies for most of the next week.
See the 10-day weather forecast for New York below.
