STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — With the sun setting on summer, beachgoers and heat enthusiasts alike will be hoping for one final seasonal hoorah this Labor Day weekend.
The latest holiday weekend forecast for New York City holds a mixed bag of conditions, with precipitation, sunshine, and humidity all varying over the course of three days.
In acknowledging the unofficial end of summer this weekend, Dave Dombek, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeather, says that if he were to rank the days from best to worst they would likely be Monday, Saturday, Sunday.
However, Dombek notes that several factors may come into play and ultimately determine the final outlook.
Saturday: Clouds and humidity
According to Dombek, much of the day Saturday will not feature inclement weather.
“The majority of the day is probably going to be dry, it’s probably going to be rain free,” Dombek said. “There might be a shower, might be a thunderstorm around in the afternoon on Saturday, but a good chunk of the day could actually be dry.”
Despite the predominantly dry forecast, clouds look to persist in the New York City area for much of the day. The coverage is expected to roll in on the heels of a potentially sunny morning, as noted by Dombek.
Additionally, humidity levels will creep back up after a stretch of time in which humidity will have been suppressed, Dombek reported.
“As far as like doing stuff outdoors, Saturday may not be perceived as being all that bad of a day,” said Dombek.
Even for those looking to head to the beach, Dombek says it may not be all that bad of a time to catch those final waves of the season.
“Unless somebody really wants to work on their tan, sometimes, you know, those cloudier days are actually better and you’re not getting fried out there,” added Dombek. “It’s kind of humid and it’s nice to go in the water, the water is kind of at the warmest level of the summer now.”
Dombek reports that water temperatures off of the Jersey Shore and Long Island are in the low 70s, which is “about what you would expect” for this time of year.
Sunday: A ‘tricky’ forecast of wet weather
A cold front will be crossing into the Northeast this weekend, and the weather conditions for Sunday will be determined by the speed of that front, as stated by Dombek.
Should that front arrive hastily, it could blow through the area Saturday night or early Sunday.
Dombek notes that the front would pack the most active weather of the weekend. Thunderstorms could manifest and subsequently produce flooding and gusty winds across the New York City area.
If the front follows this pace, the weather could spill over into Sunday morning before clearing out for a considerably decent day, as reported by Dombek.
“If that front is a little slower in getting here, then Sunday could actually end up being a pretty unsettled day with cloudy skies, humid conditions, and showers and thunderstorms around at least part of the day, if not much of the day,” Dombek said.
It is this potentially “dicey” situation that could make Sunday the “worst” day of the holiday weekend.
As the front will be cutting through a warm and humid air mass in the East, AccuWeather warns that some of these storms on Saturday or Sunday could be “severe” and produce “sporadic power outages.”
“It is possible there is another big flash flood event somewhere in the East as the front slows its forward speed from Saturday to Sunday,” AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said.
Monday: A comfortable holiday
Dombek foresees Labor Day itself being the best day of the weekend with at least some sun shining through.
Temperatures will reportedly be “pretty comfortable” and humidity levels will be “fairly low.”
“That day, as far as like doing outdoor activities, might be the best of the bunch,” said Dombek.
Although Dombek acknowledges that it might be just a bit cool for the beach.
AccuWeather forecasts a high of 76 degrees on Monday and a low of 63.
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