Forecast Highlights:
A cold air mass remains in place this morning with chilly October-like temperatures, as low as 34 degrees in Westhampton Beach, NY. The trough will gradually begin to move out with temperatures moderating into the mid-upper 70s by the late week, followed by a frontal passage around Sunday. The tropics may have to be watched afterwards as a storm with tropical connections may affect parts of the eastern US.
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Tuesday, September 17 Observations:
Behind the cold front, much cooler temperatures returned into the area, ending up at least 10 degrees below average. Morning temperatures reached 50 degrees in Central Park, making Tuesday the coolest mid September morning since 9/16/2007. Mainly sunny skies were observed during the day with highs only peaking in the low to mid 60s across the area. The highest temperature was 68 degrees in Somerset, NJ, and the coolest high temperature was 62 degrees in Shirley, NY and Westhampton Beach, NY.
Today – Friday: Warming Up
As previously mentioned, temperatures were unseasonably cold this morning, falling as low as 39 degrees in Sussex, NJ; 37 degrees in Danbury, CT; and even 34 degrees in Westhampton Beach, NY in the Pine Barrens of Long Island. A strong high pressure was present overhead, providing the area with clear skies and calm winds, an ideal setup for strong radiational cooling allowing for locations outside of the immediate NYC area to significantly cool down. Central Park failed to cool down as much, and is currently at 51 degrees as of 7 AM, but this still marks the second consecutive morning of such temperatures and the coolest mid-September morning since 2007.
The high pressure will remain overhead today, bringing another day of mainly sunny skies with highs reaching the upper 60s to low 70s across the area. Clear skies are expected again tonight with strong radiational cooling again resulting in chilly overnight lows, but with the air mass not as cold as this morning; lows are expected to fall into the low-mid 40s in NW NJ, Orange County in NY, interior CT and the Pine Barrens of Long Island, mid-upper 40s in the north/west suburbs of NYC, southern CT and the rest of Long Island, and the low-mid 50s in NYC and the immediate coast. The warming trend will continue for the late week with mostly sunny skies and a southwest wind, as highs on Thursday rise into the low-mid 70s inland and near the coast and the mid 70s elsewhere, and on Friday into the low-mid 70s near the coast and the mid-upper 70s elsewhere.