The month of July will go into the record books as a warm one nationally, with mean temperatures across a large swath of the Lower 48 well above long-term averages. Parts of the mid-Atlantic are having one of their warmest Julys on record. In the Northeast, numerous locations will close out the month with a top-10 warmest July.
While it’s certainly been quite warm at times here on the Cape, the last couple of weeks have featured several sunny but relatively cool days. Those “chilly” days have put a dent in the high temperature readings, so July is likely to finish out right around average for us.
As we flip the calendar to August, we’re climatologically still in the heart of summer. Average daytime temperatures will hold right around 80º F for the next week or two before they begin their autumnal decline. But the temperature drop-off is rather minimal overall. What’s more noticeable — and a drag — is the decline in daylight. The sunrise on Aug. 1 is just after 5:30 a.m., and sunset is around 8 p.m. By the end of the month, the sun won’t crest the morning horizon until 6:05 a.m., and sunset will sneak up to 7:15 p.m. We’ll lose about an hour and 15 minutes of daylight: thumbs down.
There are a couple of features to note about the forecast. A frontal zone and accompanying wave of low pressure should slide by the area Thursday and Friday, increasing the odds for unsettled weather. Right now, it looks as though those features will align such that the heaviest — maybe quite heavy — rain is focused to the north and west of the Cape. The combination of humid tropical air and strong surface convergence could lead to some flooding rains over parts of the northern mid-Atlantic and southern New England. Some rain is likely around our area prior to the weekend as the system eventually crosses overhead.
Behind the front — and once again just in time for the weekend — a nice bubble of high pressure looks to build into the Northeast and remain locked in place for several days. Initially, this should lead to another round of cool, comfortable air with daytime temperatures in the 70s. We’ve lucked out in that regard in recent weeks.
Soon enough, we’ll need to turn our attention to the tropical Atlantic. Historically, hurricane season starts to ramp up in the coming weeks, with the peak of the season (on average) coming in September.
