Unusual seasonal heat is coming to the tri-state area, with highs in the 80s by Wednesday and warmer forecasts as the week progresses. A beautiful summer feeling, but which raises concerns about the forest fires it generates in our region.
Wildfires broke out in New Jersey a day ago in The Brick, Howell Township and Teaneck as firefighters battled a 2,500-acre wildfire in Ocean County. The latter began Tuesday evening and quintupled Wednesday at dawn. A mandatory evacuation order has been issued for residents of 170 structures in the immediately affected areas.
Rafael Pujols with the details.
75 other structures were considered at risk. Traffic alerts are still in effect. And the risk is continuous.
The combination of high pressure, super dry air and a light breeze caused the fire threat to rise again on Wednesday. A red flag advisory is in effect for much of Connecticut, and fire watches remain in effect for all five New York boroughs and much of New Jersey. Learn more about red flag advisories (and check out the latest weather alerts here).
The dry spell continues with at least three more days of sunny skies, as well as temperatures soaring, rising and into the 80s from Wednesday through Friday.
Some areas may exceed 80 degrees on Wednesday, and temperatures will reach 80 degrees on Thursday and Friday. Friday’s forecast for New York is 85 degrees, near average for early July (minus humidity).
Most Friday records were set in the 1940s. We should be within a degree or two of hitting those highs for Central Park, LaGuardia and JFK airports, as well as Bridgeport and Poughkeepsie.
We don’t expect another bout of rain until late rains for some Saturday. More widespread showers are expected on Sunday. Then we have cooler temperatures and prolonged showers on Monday and a strong reality check comes Tuesday, with highs expected in the 60s and partly sunny skies for most of next week.
See the 10-day weather forecast for New York below.