Wildfire Smoke and Severe Storms Set to Collide in the Northeast

The Northeast is going to see a mixed bag of weather heading into the weekend. While cooler and less humid air will bring some relief from the oppressive conditions, the change in the pattern will also raise the risk of thunderstorms and poor air quality. Read on for what to expect in the days ahead.

Cooler Temperatures and Rain Headed to the Northeast

A southward dip in the jet stream will bring down cooler air from Canada to the Northeast by the end of the week. Lower humidity levels will also make it feel cooler across a corner of the country that saw the mercury reach levels 10 to 15 degrees above the historical average earlier in the week.

The arrival of a cold front will also support the development of isolated rain showers and thunderstorms across upstate New York and New England on Thursday. The region will remain toasty despite the arrival of more clouds. The bulk of New England down into the upper mid-Atlantic will see highs in the upper 80s and the low 90s.

The ignition of rain showers and thunderstorms may come as a surprise after such a long stretch of dry weather. Storms are forecast to first form in the Midwest on Friday before spreading into the Appalachians and the mid-Atlantic on Saturday.

Forecasters are warning those in the zone from the eastern Great Lakes to the south into the Appalachians and the mid-Atlantic coast to be prepared for the threat of severe thunderstorms on Saturday. Flash flooding and damaging winds will be the primary risks associated with this line of storms.

A mass of drier air will move into the eastern U.S. on Sunday. However, there is still a chance of scattered rain showers and storms disrupting outdoor plans from the Appalachians to the coastline.

Highs will bounce around in the 80s this weekend for most of the Northeast. The higher terrains could see the mercury peak in the 70s.

Wildfire Smoke Expected to Linger

Smoky skies will continue to pester the Northeast through the weekend. Strong steering winds are sending the smoke from several wildfires burning near Lake Superior into the Great Lakes and the eastern U.S. The heat dome is complicating the situation, trapping the smoke closer to the ground.

Air quality monitors in Marquette, Michigan, and Duluth, Minnesota, have recorded hazardous AQI readings as high as 795 and 682, respectively — far above the 300 threshold that defines "hazardous" air. Alerts now stretch across roughly 120 million people from the Great Lakes through New England, including Toronto, Boston, and New York City.

The pockets of smoke will mix in with clearer air at times, leading to fluctuating air quality readings in areas downwind of the fires. The onset of rain showers over the weekend will help to clean out some of the smoke.

Until then, individuals with underlying health conditions are being advised to stay on top of the latest air quality readings. The forecast is calling for next week's wind pattern to shift most of the smoke away from the northeastern U.S. as the Midwest continues to deal with the haze generated from the fires to the north.

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