We made it!
After three attempts this summer, we finally had a heat wave. But this was no ordinary slam dunk stretch of 90 or better. No, it required a surge on Saturday and a pitched battle to stymie the sea breeze this afternoon. Took until 6pm, but a simple wind shift from east/southeast to southwest did the trick. Officially our first heat wave in over 2 years for the city of Boston. (Last one was July 14-20, 2013…yes, we only needed three days, but we got 7.)
Heat will be present again tomorrow, but that seems to be the peak. In fact, after tomorrow we will slowly cool down. Not from a front, not from thunderstorms, but from a subtle – then demanding – southeast wind.
Yes, the sea breeze warded off the heat wave in the city today, and it will eventually soothe the hot spots throughout the entire Commonwealth later this week. At first, we'll step back a few degrees, but by Friday, we'll see highs crumble to the low 80s. The southeast wind can do that (with the aid of time), but what it can't do is lower the humidity. You need a front for that. And I don't see one of those for the next week plus.
You may befriend it, but the southeast wind comes with baggage. We're seeing signs of fog forming offshore, a consequence of the increasing humidity being shoved over cool sea surface temperatures, and of course, the longer nights. This fog bank is currently south of Nova Scotia. With the southeast wind taking over by midweek, the fog will catch a ride and expand onto the Cape. Eventually, it should continue to swarm over all the coastal communities and become a permanent fixture in the mornings through the weekend.
Meantime, the heat inland may boil up some isolated afternoon storms. Chances are slim though, only near 20% in the coming days.
Try and keep your cool.
Pete