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Hot, sticky weather expected as Isaias cleanup continues in Northeast

Forecasters expect heat to ramp back up in the Northeast in the coming days, posing more difficulties for Americans still without power in the wake of Isaias.

Forecasters expect heat to ramp back up in the Northeast in the coming days, posing more difficulties for Americans still without power in the wake of Isaias's rampaging winds.

Isaias left 3.5 million in the dark from North Carolina to Maine earlier this week after it pummeled the East Coast. As of early Friday afternoon, more than 1.1 million customers were still without power, according to poweroutage.us.

Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), a utility company serving New Jersey, reported Thursday that Isaias caused the biggest weather-related outage since Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and was its fifth most severe storm in history.

Utility crews have been working around the clock in some neighborhoods to get power restored as quickly as possible. According to PSEG, crews have been working 16-hour shifts -- and utility crews have been dispatched from areas not affected by Isaias to assist in restoring power.

In the wake of Isaias, drenching showers and thunderstorms have continued to harass parts of the mid-Atlantic region with localized flooding and damaging winds Thursday into Friday morning. More storms are forecast into this weekend for many of the same areas that have been hit by storms the past couple of days, including areas that were hit hard by Isaias.

There is some good news in terms of thunderstorms this weekend, however.

"A downturn in the overall coverage of the storms is expected from Saturday through Sunday," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson. "But, there can still be a few pop-up storms that can hit some neighborhoods with flooding downpours and perhaps knock down a few trees."

Forecasters and public officials urge motorists not to drive through flooded roadways but rather to seek an alternative route. Water can be deeper than it appears and can rise quickly. In some cases, roads can be washed away and compromised beneath floodwaters.

Another weather trend the region will face is much warmer, if not hotter, conditions from Sunday to Tuesday. The uptick in temperatures will be noticeable following cloudy and wet conditions that have held daytime temperatures back to near- to- slightly-below-average levels in some cases this week.

As the amount of sunshine increases and the ground begins to dry out, the weather system causing the frequent storms will move out to sea this weekend. Temperatures will trend upward as a result.

"Highs are forecast to trend back to being five to 10 degrees Fahrenheit above average in much of the Northeast by early next week," AccuWeather Meteorologist Jake Sojda said.

During the middle of August, high temperatures typically range from the upper 70s in northern New England to near 90 in southeastern Virginia.

High temperatures will be back into the 90-degree-Fahrenheit ballpark by early next week along much of the Interstate 95 corridor.

With a lack of any strong weather systems around, winds will generally be light outside of highly-localized thunderstorms. Typical of August, the lack of a substantial breeze will add to how hot it feels.

"While record highs are not foreseen in the pattern and are not likely to top the high marks achieved in July, AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures will be at levels that make cleanup operations difficult," Sojda said.

The nights will be warm and muggy and can cause difficulty for those trying to rest up without an air conditioner or fan for the next day's activities ahead, Sojda added.

People are urged to remain hydrated and avoid strenuous activity during the peak of the heat during the afternoon hours. The coolest part of the day will generally be the first few hours of daylight.

The resurgence of heat will likely keep temperatures above average for the month of August, following one of the hottest July's on record in the region. NOAA reported that people across seven states endured the hottest July on record, including Connecticut (which tied the previous record), Delaware, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania (which tied the previous record) and Virginia (which tied the previous record). Many more states, 14 in total, across the South and East experienced one of the top-10 hottest July's in recorded history.

As summer heat intensifies once again, AccuWeather meteorologists are also reminding people to remain vigilant of additional threats from the tropics. AccuWeather tropical forecasters, led by veteran meteorologist Dan Kottlowski, expect the heart of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season to be "hyperactive." The basin is likely to spawn more threats to the United States, according to the most recent prediction issued by the company, which also cautioned that additional impacts will be possible along the Eastern Seaboard.

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