Dry Weather to Persist Across the Midwest and the Northeast

It has been a long dry pattern throughout the bulk of the Midwest and the Northeast. But how long will the moisture stay away from this part of the country and will Francine have anything to say about it? Read on for all of the details.

Dry Pattern to Linger for Midwest and Northeast

The moisture machine is likely to hold off for another several days for a large part of the Midwest and the Northeast, however, some areas of the region will be under the threat of tropical moisture. A large zone of high pressure has had serious staying power, influencing the weather from the Upper Midwest and into the Northeast.

While this pattern has been good news for residents looking to squeeze in some late-summer fun in the sun, it is not doing any favors for the building drought conditions. Forecasters are predicting that the zone of high pressure will be reinforced in the days ahead, paving the way for more outdoor activities without the worry of weather disruptions.

Those in the mid-Atlantic and up into the central Appalachians and New England will enjoy more sunshine paired with comfortable temperatures through at least the weekend. The warmth will accelerate in the Northeast through the end of the week before the mercury dips slightly on Saturday and Sunday.

You can expect widespread temperatures to hover in the upper 70s to the mid 80s for most of the region. Low to moderate humidity levels and plenty of sunshine will translate to pleasant conditions. Areas of patchy morning fog is likely to be the only potential disruption.

Looking at a few specific metro area forecasts, New York City will hover in the low to mid 80s for afternoon highs through the weekend. The next chance of rain will not move into the Big Apple until later in the day Tuesday.

Boston will remain drier for an even longer period of time. The city will cool down into the 70s for highs by the weekend, however, the mostly sunny to partly cloudy conditions will stick around through Thursday of next week.

The forecast is predicting that the warmth will peak on Thursday with slightly cooler weather on the way. In addition, a weak storm system could usher in sporadic rain showers to the northern edge of New England on Friday and Saturday. However, this rain is not likely to make it into the major population centers of the Northeast.

Will Francine Make it to This Part of the Country?

The biggest chance of rain will come in the form of a surge of tropical moisture late this week for the Midwest and into the early days of next week for the mid-Atlantic as a result of what is left of Francine. Hurricane Francine came onshore in southern Louisiana as a Category 2 storm late Wednesday afternoon.

Meteorologists are forecasting that Francine's remnants will create cloudy conditions and instances of heavy rain for the middle part of the Mississippi Valley and the lower portion of the Ohio Valley beginning on Thursday and lasting through Saturday. However, the scope of the rain will be limited by a mass of dry air that will continue to try to move into Francine's remnants.

The rain will be a welcome sight for the communities in the central U.S. that could use the moisture. The drought continues to worsen across parts of Ohio and West Virginia with some areas coming in under the designation of extreme or exceptional levels.