Maximum heat index forecast for Aug. 4, 2022. Source: National Weather Service Gray/Portland ME office

Dangerous Heat: Record High and Low Temperatures Likely in the Northeast

4 min readAug 4, 2022

With dangerous heat and stifling humidity expected, forecast maps are quite colorful for New England and the Northeast through the weekend.

The heat arrives during a dry spell in much of the region, with severe or moderate drought expanding in recent days, according to a U.S. Drought Monitor update released this morning.

Rain expected over the next couple of days could help conditions in some areas, NOAA’s Northeast River Forecast Center tweeted. But “the heaviest precipitation totals are expected west of the regions with the most severe drought conditions,” the center said in a daily discussion.

Today, record-breaking high and low temperatures in the mid- to upper-90s and 70s, respectively, are likely across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, according a forecast discussion by the Weather Prediction Center at the National Weather Service says. Heat advisories are in effect.

“A dangerous combination of heat and humidity is expected today for much of eastern New York and western New England. While some daily records may be set with highs of 95–100F, the real safety concern is heat indices of 100–105F,” the weather service office in Albany, New York, tweeted.

“Heat advisories may be extended through the weekend as we’re currently forecasting several areas to have max heat indices greater than 95 degrees through Monday!” the weather service Boston/Norton office tweeted.

The extreme heat follows an abnormally hot July in most of the Northeast. It was among the 20 all-time hottest months on record at 21 of the region’s 35 major climate sites. Newark, New Jersey, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, had their second all-time hottest month on record, the Northeast Regional Climate Center says.

“This July featured an unusually large number of days with highs at or above” 90 degrees Fahrenheit and lows of at least 70 degrees, especially during a July 19 to 25 heat wave, the center says. In Newark, highs reached at least 100 degrees for a record five straight days. July was also quite dry in many areas, with drought and abnormal dryness expanding and deepening in the Northeast.

Drought in the Northeast Likely to Linger or Spread in August After a Dry, Warm July

As of 8 a.m. on Aug. 2, “short-term moderate and severe drought continued to expand, especially in the New York City area, New Jersey and New England, where rainfall was sparse and temperatures were a few degrees above normal,” according to the U.S. Drought Monitor update. “Water use restrictions and farming impacts were becoming common across these regions as dry conditions continued another week.”

To help people cope with hot weather, the National Weather Service offers heat safety tips and resources. Meanwhile, the National Integrated Heat Health Information System has “heat and health information for the nation to reduce the health, economic, and infrastructural impacts of extreme heat.”