Overview

• An expansive high-pressure ridge is keeping much of the U.S. sunny with above-normal temperatures, commonly in the 70s to near 90 and hotter inland while coastal zones stay cooler under marine influence.
• Rain chances stay low through Tuesday, with a midweek window developing as models point to higher probabilities in the Plains and Midwest Wednesday into Thursday and only spotty showers brushing parts of Southern New England.
• The National Weather Service highlights Wednesday night into Thursday as the best chance for limited coastal precipitation near Cape Cod, while most of the Northeast remains largely dry.
• Drought indicators are deteriorating, with the U.S. Drought Monitor showing abnormally dry to severe drought pockets in places like Northeast Ohio after weeks of sparse rainfall.
• A pattern shift later in the week could bring cooler, more seasonal temperatures for some regions by the weekend, and forecasters continue to watch a distant Atlantic disturbance that is not currently expected to affect the U.S. coast.