Longest Heat Wave of the Year Expected This Week in the Hudson Valley

After severe weather brought damaging winds, torrential rain, and hail to parts of Ulster and Dutchess Counties Wednesday, the past few days have been relatively calm across the area. As we approached the weekend, forecasters said that it would be warm and humid with highs in the 80s both Saturday and Sunday. But as we look ahead to next week, meteorologists are saying the Hudson Valley could see its longest consecutive streak of 90+ degrees in some time. How hot will it get?

Poughkeepsie saw three days in a row where it was 90 or above earlier this week. The last long streak of 90+ highs was for nine straight days (July 21 to July 29, 2016).

Forecast

The best chance for thunderstorms will be Monday, as the chance for rain comes in the afternoon, according to The Weather Channel. Highs will stay in the 80s Monday (7/18) but expect it to warm up fast afterwards. Highs are expected to climb to the 90s starting Tuesday and could remain that way until well into the following week. There will be a chance for scattered storms each day, with the better chance for rain returning later in the week.

Will the Hudson Valley See a Hot and Stormy Summer?

Weather forecasts are often conflicting, especially when predicting the conditions months in advance. TWC is calling for slightly above average temperatures for the Hudson Valley and parts of the Northeast, with round of storms possible this summer. The forecast issued is somewhat similar to the summer of 2021, where we saw hotter than usual temps and above average precipitation.

NOAA's outlook is a little more extreme, as they are calling for way above average highs and well above average rainfall. A hot, humid, and hazy summer of 2022, according to their predictions. Almanac's forecast though is a bit more conflicting for the area, with the Hudson Valley seemingly on the boundary between a hot and dry summer, versus a cooler and wetter one. And then while AccuWeather is saying we'll see temperatures around average this year, be ready for numerous rounds of severe thunderstorms this summer to impact the Hudson Valley.

New York's Hottest Temperature Ever? 

According to Cool Weather, summers in New York state average around 66.5 F (with both high and lows averaged in). That places us at 39th hottest in the country. However, the Southern and Western parts of the U.S. aren't the only parts of the nation that can get scorching hot during summertime. Read HERE.