School Is Back in Session, But Summer’s Not Over Yet

This week’s weather forecast is like the Uno reverse card: Texas might finally get a break from triple-digit temperatures, but the summer heat is making its way back into the Northeast.

After some taste of fall, summer returns to the north

Those west of the Appalachians might have already started to feel a shift in the air this weekend. After a week of below-average temperatures and fall-like weather, heat maps for the Northeast have gone back to looking very red. Temperatures could run 5 to 8 degrees Fahrenheit above average this week, Paul Pastelok, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, told me. “Highs will be the low to mid 80s, nights in the upper 50s to lower 60s,” he said.

Philadelphia, which has already started to get warmer, might see even higher temperatures, with some days later in the week hitting the low 90s. But for those in the state hoping to make the most of the heat by turning it into a beach vacation, I am sorry to say this week will likely be cloudy from beginning to end.

New England will also see the return of some warmth this week, but it’ll be “slower and less impressive” than other nearby states, according to Pastelok. Temperatures there will be closer to average, and will very soon cool back down.

A cold front is finally in store for Texas

This summer hasn’t been fun for Texas. The unrelenting heat — more intense there than in any other state — has shattered multiple temperature records, increased wildfire activity, and contributed to severe drought. Just last week, when most of the country got a taste of cooler days ahead, the Texas energy grid broke its demand record. While it’s still too soon to call off the season of scorching temperatures, the new week brings some good news.

A strong cold front will bring temperatures down below average across northern Texas later this week. Some precipitation in South Texas could pull readings a few degrees lower still, Pastelok told me, even though humidity is expected to remain high. Central Texas has already started to get some relief, finally dropping out of the triple digits this past weekend.

Heat to intensify in the West

Those in the Midwest will have to bear through an increase in temperatures this week. The Great Plains, the Mississippi Valley, the Ohio Valley and the Great Lakes can all expect temperatures in the high 80s and mid 90s, Pastelok told me. The heat won’t last long, though. Starting Thursday, a cold front will start moving through the region, and temperatures are expected to drop well below average across the Plains and the Midwest for at least a few days.

• Back to School: This quick but intense heat wave is making its way across the Midwest right in time for back to school season. Chicago Public Schools went back into session today with a series of heat adaptations in place — athletic games have been canceled until Wednesday and outdoor practices were moved indoors. While in Chicago all classrooms are equipped with air conditioning, that is not true across all of the region. According to The Washington Post, as heat waves become more constant in the North, almost 14,000 public schools that did not need AC back in 1970 need it today.

In California, the week will be hot and wet. After a series of storms pass through the state earlier this week, temperatures will go back to rising. “The Central Valleys of California by late next week will be well above average, along with the Desert Southwest,” Pastelok told me. Cities such as Sacramento, Modesto, and Fresno, can see temperatures above 100 degrees.

Fall will be toasty

According to the National Weather Service’s forecast, the entire country will experience above average fall temperatures this year. Seriously, I mean the entire country. The hardest hit states will be New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and then over on the top of the Northeast, from Maine to New York.

According to AccuWeather forecasts, for many, fall will feel more like a “second summer” than a new season. In fact, only two states — Washington and Oregon — will see a quick transition into fall. The rest of the country is, well, doomed.

Not only will fall be hotter, it will also be dryer, raising concerns over increased wildfire risk across California, parts of the Great Lakes and the Northeast. Severe weather, such as tropical storms and hurricanes, will also define the season. AccuWeather has predicted six to 10 storms to hit the country from this week through the end of September alone.

For snow lovers such as myself, it seems like flakes might not make an appearance until November, and only in some of the coldest spots in the northern Plains, Rockies, and Upper Midwest.