US Weather This Weekend: Temperatures Jump to July-Like Levels Across Much of the Country

An unusually strong late spring, early summer low-pressure system will nudge northeast along the Mid-Atlantic coast into the Northeast this weekend. This system is expected to produce rainfall from North Carolina to northern Maine on Saturday.

More than 5 million people in northern New England are at a marginal risk, level one out of four, from Saturday into Saturday night of experiencing excessive rainfall that could produce flash flooding, according to the Weather Prediction Center.

Portions of at least a dozen states, including 41 million people, are being monitored for strong to severe thunderstorms Saturday into early Sunday morning. Parts of the Mid-Atlantic, the central and southern plains, and southern Florida are at a marginal risk, level one out of five, for severe thunderstorms, according to the Storm Prediction Center. The marginal risk area includes portions of at least seven Mid-Atlantic states and also southern Texas.

Record Temperatures Will Fall in the West

We may be moving into summer this weekend, but out west, it will already feel like we are halfway into the season. Most of the western half of the country will see temperatures soar well above normal this weekend. Some of the hotter spots will have temperatures climb to between 10 and 20 degrees or more above average.

Nearly 13 million people in California are under a heat advisory until late Saturday. Triple-digit temperatures are likely in much of the state’s Central Valley. The National Weather Service is advising people there to avoid being outdoors in the sun from 10 am to 6 pm and to check on those who are susceptible to the impacts of extreme heat.

Along with the Central Valley, the Delta, Foothills, and northern Coastal Range regions should see high temperatures on Saturday, topping out between 99 and 109 degrees. Heat advisories are also in effect for portions of Nevada, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, and Oregon.

Smoke Fills the Skies in the North

Smoke spreading south from wildfires in Canada prompted air quality alerts for northwestern Minnesota, the western portion of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and all of Wisconsin. As of Friday, there have been just over 1,500 wildfires that have charred around 885,000 acres across Canada. The smoke will continue to spill south into Wisconsin on Saturday.

“Air quality will degrade from north to south today as Canadian wildfire smoke pushes in ahead of a cold front,” reads the air quality alert for the Badger State. “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (USG) AQI (Orange category) is expected for much of the state, with the potential to reach Unhealthy AQI (Red category).”