Heat wave descends on NNY

Mother Nature isn't letting summer slip away without one last spike in temperatures.

A late summer heat wave has descended on the region this week, but things are really going to cool down by Labor Day weekend.

"There is an intense high-pressure system that is bringing warm weather to the Northeast," said Michael R. Pukajlo, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, Buffalo. "It's an extension of what we call the Bermuda High, and it's far enough west that it's affecting the weather from Maine down to the Carolinas."

The north country likely will not break any records this week for high temperatures, because while this kind of a heat wave is not common so late in the summer, it's not unheard of, Mr. Pukajlo said.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation issued an air quality alert for Jefferson County on Tuesday that lasted until 11 p.m., because of elevated ozone levels.

The following temperatures were recorded in the area Tuesday afternoon:

■ Watertown International Airport, Dexter: 85 degrees with a heat index of 88 degrees.

■ Massena International Airport: 89 degrees with a heat index of 94 degrees.

■ Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield, Fort Drum: 87 degrees with a heat index of 92 degrees.

Some of the leaves began changing color in the area in August, and Mr. Pukajlo said this short heat wave shouldn't have any effect on the fall foliage this year.

"That is more conditional on longer-term weather patterns, like how much precipitation has fallen over the past several months," Mr. Pukajlo said. "It's not as much dependent on short-term temperature fluctuations."

Temperatures will begin to fall by the weekend, and while Mr. Pukajlo couldn't pinpoint exactly when that would happen, it likely will be sometime Thursday, he said.

"There will be a break when a cold front moves through the region. The high temperatures will likely be in the upper 60s and low 70s," Mr. Pukajlo said. "We'll see a significant cooling trend as the high temperatures will be near 90 until that front pushes through."

The high temperaturestoday and Thursday will reach nearly 90 degrees for much of Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties, according to the National Weather Service.

Friday's high temperatures should reach the low 80s throughout the region, with a 40 percent chance of showers for most of Jefferson and Lewis counties. Areas of St. Lawrence County may see scattered thunderstorms Thursday and Friday. Temperatures Saturday should reach highs in the 60s with a 40 percent chance of showers for Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties.

It's too early to tell whether the north country will see any precipitation from Hurricane Earl in the coming days, as the storm churns toward the East Coast.

"If the hurricane shifts further west, portions of New York may see heavier rainfall," Mr. Pukajlo said. "But if it stays far enough east, you should have a pretty nice weekend in that area."