Weekend Weather: Hot And Humid

The temperature in Lawrence and much of the Merrimack Valley reached 90 Thursday, kicking off a prolonged heat wave. By some model accounts, these areas may reach above 90 every single day through the next seven days. Although it's happened before, it's rather unusual to have this kind of heat so early in the season.

High pressure remains in control and will keep rain away from the region, but also keep skies mainly sunny for very little relief, even from passing clouds.

If you like this kind of weather, good news: it's going to last for quite a while. Even the long range models keep above average temperatures in the Northeast through early July.

There will be some relief over the south coast, Cape Cod and the Islands, where temperatures will be in the upper 70s to low 80s. Obviously if you're right at the water, that's where temperatures will be their coolest.

The jet stream has made its summer retreat into Canada early this year, keeping the lower humidity and refreshing air hundreds of miles away.

If you are a regular reader of this blog you also know that I've been concerned about the lack of rain. Some areas from southern New Hampshire into central Massachusetts have seen their driest mid-May to mid-June in many decades — in some cases, since records started being kept.

The lack of rain over the past few weeks has caused the drought monitor to expand drier than average conditions and now nearly 80% of the state is below average in terms of rainfall.

I expect we are a week or two away from official moderate drought conditions unless something dramatically changes. Turfgrass can go dormant if you don't have the ability to water and it will come back in the fall.

However, if you want to keep your lawn from turning brown, you'll need to give it adequate water. The best time to water is between 4 and 8 a.m. and I like to give the lawn half an inch of water every 3 to 4 days. If you water just a little bit every day you're not encouraging deep roots. Have a good weekend and stay cool.

You can follow my updates here and on Twitter @growingwisdom.

Friday: Clouds and sun. Highs near 90. Cooler south coast.

Friday night: A few clouds and muggy. Lows 62-68.

Saturday: Sun and clouds. Hot and humid, with highs near 90. Small risk of a storm. 77-83 for Cape Cod and the Islands.

Sunday: Partly cloudy. Highs 85-90. 77-83 for Cape Cod and the Islands.

Monday: Sun and clouds near 90. 77-83 for Cape Cod and the Islands.

Tuesday: Sun and clouds again near 90. 77-83 for Cape Cod and the Islands.