World's First Chief Heat Officer's Tips
Temperatures and humidity rose during the last week of May in the Great Lakes and Northeast while excessive heat built up in parts of the West,serving as a reminder that summer was just around the corner.
The jet stream pattern shifted,with a northward bulge setting up over both the East and the West. This setup often correlates with warmer temperatures,which was the case the last week of May.
In addition,an upper-level low was cut off from the jet stream and was lingering over the Mississippi Valley,bringing days of rain and keeping temperatures relatively cool there.
(MORE:Why Weather Moves Slower In The Late Spring,Summer)
Hot and Humid in the Great Lakes,Northeast
Hot temperatures developed in parts of the Great Lakes and Northeast due to a southerly wind flow. Dew points rose into the 60s for most areas,making it feel humid as well.
Buffalo,Rochester,Syracuse and Albany,New York,all recorded their first 90-degree day of the year on Tuesday,May 26,each setting daily records less than three weeks after snow and record cold around Mother's Day.
Highs Tuesday,May 26,soared into the 90s as far north as Burlington,Vermont (92 degrees),and Sault Ste. Marie,Michigan (90 degrees).
On Wednesday,May 27,Burlington hit 95 degrees,breaking its all-time record high for May by 2 degrees. That day's low temperature of 72 degrees was also the warmest observed on any date in May by 2 degrees. Burlington's records date back to 1884.
Heat Built Up in the West
Daily record highs were set Tuesday,May 26,in Sacramento (104 degrees downtown),San Jose,California (97 degrees),and Reno,Nevada (92 degrees).
Death Valley,California,set a daily record on Wednesday,May 27,with a high of 118 degrees,and downtown Sacramento tied its daily record of 104 degrees.
The Weather Now 24’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news,the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company,IBM.
