Steamy air to be swept away across midwestern, northeastern US this weekend

After several stormy days, a fresh sweep of drier, less humid air and sunshine will return to the midwestern and northeastern United States by the end of the weekend.

Humidity will drop from the steamy conditions felt late this week to levels more reminiscent of earlier in the week around the Fourth of July holiday.

The muggy air will retreat after the passage of downpours and locally severe thunderstorms into Saturday.

Cooler and drier air will gradually take control over the weekend, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.

The dry sweep will greet the western and central Great Lakes and Ohio Valley on Saturday prior to reaching the Northeast coast by Sunday.

“Highs ranging from the 80s to middle 90s F with high humidity will be replaced with highs ranging from the lower 70s to the middle 80s with low humidity,” Sosnowski said.

AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures will be several degrees higher than actual temperatures thanks to the strong July sun.

Any areas in the sunshine for a prolonged amount of time will get quite hot, including car interiors, pavement and playground equipment. Use caution when coming in contact with any of these items.

Sunday will be the nicest day across the Northeast with plenty of sunshine in store.

“[However], some showers and thunderstorms may sneak into parts of the Great Lakes region later in the day,” Sosnowski said.

For most of the Northeast, significant heat and humidity will likely remain absent into the middle of July.

“[From July 11-15], any warmth trying to push east across the Plains and Midwest will be cut off from reaching the East,” AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said.

While rounds of rainfall may trigger a spike in humidity a few days through next week, frequent cool pushes from Canada will keep temperatures right around normal for this time of year.

The main exception will be across a portion of the mid-Atlantic, mainly from Philadelphia southward. Storms could skirt north of the region and temperatures may climb into the mid-90s at times next week.