The Southeast will really get in on the heavy rains by Thursday afternoon, also into the Ohio Valley and moving into the Great Lakes.

It's a much quieter day across the Carolinas and the east coast today with cooler than normal temperatures, lots of clouds, and periods of light showers.

The timing is working out perfectly for the big cities from Boston to Hartford, NYC, Philly, Baltimore, Washington to Richmond to see 95-100 degree actual air temperatures this afternoon and evening. Skies are clearing out on the satellite. Extra clouds and blow off from storms are staying away. This will be record to near record heat. It’s unusual to get near 100 degrees outside of the Memorial Day to Labor Day window in the Northeast, but this is one of those days.

Saturday will be the peak day for heat and humidity all across the eastern US with the highest temperatures along the Megalopolis between Boston and Richmond.

To the south, it’s in the high 80s, 90s, and lower 100s. To the north, 50s, 60s and 70s. In between this great disparity, is the battle zone.

The 100-110 degree temperatures that have been locked up over Texas is finally spreading east and bringing hot temperatures across much of the Southeast today.

After a round of severe weather yesterday afternoon and evening, the cooler air has won and will dominate the Northeast today. This will especially be true across the interior, Northern New England, Upstate NY, and across the Great Lakes, where clouds, lingering showers, winds and temperatures in the 50s will be common today.

An ENHANCED RISK of severe thunderstorms with strong damaging winds the biggest threat, will exist from central and eastern NY this afternoon and evening, south into eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and northern Virginia. Late afternoon and evening these storms will hit the NYC area and head east through western New England. The threat for hail and tornadoes is not zero, it’s still there, but this will not be a major “tornado” threat for the northeast. I’ve seen a lot worse tornado threats there and this is not one of them. Strong straight line winds and microbursts will be the greatest danger here.

It has been a beautiful week across the Northeastern US. It has greened up quickly. Temps in the 70s and 80s all week long have broken the cabin fever most feel in this part of the country far longer than they have to. But it’s also, only the middle of May. The normal high temperatures are in the 60s and 70s in this region of the country, and for a week we’ve been running anywhere from 10-25 degrees above that. It’s time for it to come to an end and this weekend is the turning point.

The Northeast US is usually the part of the nation that gets ripped off the most when it comes to sunshine and sunny warm days. By far. I know this, because I lived there most of my life. There are rare exceptions. And today is not one of those days.

Beautiful day for much of the Eastern US. Some exceptions along the SE coast, Pacific NW and across the northern Plains. In particular the northern Plains and northern MS Valley is looking at a SLIGHT to ENHANCED RISK of severe thunderstorms with large hail and high winds the biggest threats. Tornadoes are the secondary threat.

OK Upstate NY you’ve been waiting for this. It is here! Beautiful weather continues for much of the eastern and central US. Severe weather in the high Plains to the northern Mississippi Valley today and especially tomorrow. Some changes next week but not as dramatic as first feared.