Daniel Wolfram
Expect sunshine, crisp nights, and prime road-trip conditions across the eastern United States.
A stubborn atmospheric roadblock is holding off rainstorms across the eastern third of the United States.
The aftermath of this summer’s weather phenomenon El Niño is causing an unusually warm autumn for most of the eastern part of the United States.
For more than 200 million people, that means several days of unbroken afternoon warmth paired with crisp, cool evenings.
Sunny weather
AccuWeather meteorologists report that a sprawling ridge of high pressure is responsible for the prolonged spell.
“A vast area of high pressure at most levels of the atmosphere will be in control and is forecast to bring a blue sky and sunshine by day, helping to boost temperatures to seasonable levels in the afternoons with a slight day-to-day warming trend that will begin in the Midwest late this week and expand to the Atlantic Seaboard this weekend,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.
This stretch of dry weather gives building crews a clear path to work without rain delays. It also offers homeowners time to clean out gutters, rake yards, and get ready for the coming winter weather.
Perfect skies
Clear skies also mean nighttime temperatures will drop fast once dusk arrives. That will bring early frost to the interior Northeast, along with thick morning fog in river valleys along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.
“This is going to be a great stretch of weather to see fall foliage, especially from southern New England through northwest New Jersey, into central Pennsylvania, and then down through the Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge Mountain regions,” Anderson said. “There will also be great viewing conditions across much of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan.”
While coastal areas battle rough surf from Subtropical Storm Josephine, inland regions stay bright. A weak cold front moving from the Dakotas may bring scattered showers next week, but forecasters say the dry weather could easily hold through Election Day on Nov. 3.
