👋 Hi there! How are you holding up in this heat? The weather station at Poughkeepsie has reached 97 degrees three times this week and today could be even hotter 🫠

Believe it or not, it’s been 11 years (since July 2011) since the region last officially reached 100 degrees — it’s a pretty uncommon occurrence, happening once every 8 years on average. The histogram below shows the Hudson Valley’s summer temperature distribution from 1959 to 2021.

While 100 degrees is hardly unprecedented (the all-time temperature record at Poughkeepsie is 104˚F), the Hudson Valley’s climate is getting warmer.

The animation below illustrates how the summer temperature distribution is shifting to the right and becoming warmer — in other words, an illustration of climate change. The purple bars represent temperature data from 1959-1990 and the yellow shows the more recent 1991-2021 period.

Fortunately, the extreme heat is only temporary.

The upcoming week will be hot, but not as hot as this past week. Today (Sunday) will mark the sixth consecutive day with 90+ heat. The streak will be in jeopardy on Monday as a front approaches from the west, but I’m expecting it to reach at least 90 one last time.

Behind the front, the humidity will ease on Tuesday with the heatwave likely being snapped at 7 straight days.

Wednesday looks dry before the humidity turns up a notch on Thursday and Friday, coming with a risk for passing showers and thunderstorms.

Right now, it’s looking like a high pressure system will build in for next weekend, bringing dry conditions.

Looking further ahead, the week of August 1st is showing signs of being warmer than average with more 90+ degree temperatures likely 🥵

Extreme heat is forecast to spread from the Pacific Northwest into the northern Plains around the start of August, eventually reaching the east, as highlighted by the widespread red coloring in the image below.

Looks like summer, feels like winter

I bet some Hudson Valley residents wouldn’t mind a day in the 60s right about now! Northern New Zealand has tropical vibes year round, even in the middle of winter when the temperatures are commonly in the 50s and 60s.

See for yourself!

Hope life’s a beach this week 🏖️

Programming note: I’m traveling next weekend, so the next weekly newsletter will probably arrive on August 7th ☺️