Folks in the eastern half of the United States might be wondering if the current ongoing cool pattern, which even saw temperatures dip into the 20s in portions of West Virginia on Aug. 26, is here to stay. Is summer over?
Forecasters say it will definitely stay chilly in the short term: "A fresh area of high pressure will move from Canada into the Northeast over the weekend and remain in place for the Labor Day holiday," AccuWeather meteorologist Adam Douty said in late August. "Most locations will experience comfortable days with a good deal of sunshine and chilly nights."
Indeed, temperatures more common for October will trend as much as 15 degrees below historical averages, with near-record lows at night for many locations. Daytime highs will range from the 60s to 70s, with nighttime lows in the 40s and 50s.
Federal forecasters agree with this prediction, noting that "current outlooks for early September favor below-normal temperatures for much of the Midwest and East," Dan Collins, an extended range forecaster with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, told USA TODAY via e-mail.
Sept. 1 is the beginning of meteorological fall in the Northern Hemisphere, while the beginning of astronomical fall is still three weeks away, this year occurring on Sept. 22.
