It Won't Feel Much Like Summer in Parts of Central, Eastern U.S. Into Mid-August

Linda Lam
Published: August 5,2017
The first half of August won't feel terribly summerlike for portions of the central and eastern U.S.
The weather over the eastern two-thirds of the country has been influenced by a trough, or southward dip in the jet stream, for much of the summer, resulting in relatively cool and wet conditions in many areas. This pattern will continue into the second week of August with below-average temperatures prevailing for areas east of the Rockies.
Last week, this setup allowed a rare July cold front to push through the South, which dropped dew points and lowered temperatures. The pleasant change certainly did not feel like the end of July.
(MORE: 7 Odd Weather Events Happened in Late July)
Now, another unusual cold front is tracking into the South and East into this weekend and a few strong thunderstorms may accompany this system.
Yet, another cold front will move through the Plains to the East early next week with additional rain and thunderstorms, as a general return to a wetter pattern is anticipated.

The blue contours on the map indicate where cooler-than-average temperatures are expected.

Behind this front, cooler-than-average temperatures will make another appearance. Below is a closer look at this mild early-August forecast.

First Week of August Forecast

Cooler temperatures will expand a bit farther south and east Sunday, engulfing a large swath from the Ohio Valley, mid-South and Northeast, and some communities in the South may even notice a difference.
High temperatures on Sunday will only top out in the 70s for much of the Northeast while cooler-than-average conditions will stretch from the Plains into much of the South and East. However, portions of the eastern seaboard will likely see temperatures near average or slightly below average.
(FORECAST: Denver | Kansas City | Nashville | Pittsburgh)
The only areas east of the Rockies that will see highs climb into the 90s this weekend will be portions of Texas, Oklahoma and central and southern Florida.

Five-Day Forecast

In addition to the drop on the thermometer, the humidity will also decrease, once again, from the northern and central Plains eastward into the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, where dew points will generally tumble into the 50s.
(MAPS: 10-Day Forecast)
Low temperatures will also be cooler than average, especially in the Plains and Midwest, through this weekend and a few daily record lows are possible.
On Saturday morning record daily low temperatures were broken or tied, including (new record in parentheses): Cape Giradrdeau, Missouri (51 degrees); Paducah, Kentucky (52 degrees); Evansville, Indiana (54 degrees); and Nashville, Tennessee (58 degrees, tied).
Lows in the 50s will be common in these regions, with 40s in northern Minnesota and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan through Monday morning.
This will make it feel more like early fall in many spots into early next week, including Chicago, where lows in the mid- to upper 50s are the average lows in early to mid-September, and Oklahoma City, where minimum temperatures in the mid-60s are expected in mid-September.

Will Summer's Searing Heat Return?

An upper-level trough will remain in place across the central and eastern U.S. for the second week of August. In addition, another disturbance will move through the Plains into the East early next week and usher in another round of below-average temperatures, along with comfortable dew-point levels for the Plains, Midwest and Northeast.
NOAA's Climate Prediction Center (CPC) has highlighted areas in the Plains and Midwest as having the greatest chance of cooler-than-average temperatures next week into early the following week.

Temperature Outlook

For those looking for summer's searing heat, it should become more humid in the South next week, but clouds and storms may help to suppress temperatures.
(MORE: August Temperature Outlook)
There are also indications that there may be some moderation in temperatures in the South and East late next week, ahead of yet another cold front, but the details remain uncertain.
Changes in the upper-level pattern in the northern Pacific may finally bring a shift in this stubborn weather pattern in the U.S. in the second half of August.
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