Get set for a summer preview even before Memorial Day.
The significant warm-up will begin on Sunday, with widespread temperatures in the mid- to upper 80s.
Photo Credit: AccuWeather
Locations in the darker shades will see the highest heat indices (combination of temperature and humidity) on Sunday, May 17.
Photo Credit: AccuWeather
Summer-like conditions will continue on Monday, May 18, and Tuesday, May 19.
Photo Credit: AccuWeather
05/15/2026 3:50 p.m.
The shift will affect much of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, according to the National Weather Service.
The big change arrives over the weekend.
The National Weather Service says some places will reach the 80-degree mark Saturday, May 16, before widespread mid- to upper 80s arrive Sunday, May 17.
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AccuWeather says the major warmup is on the way for the East into early next week as high pressure develops over the Southeast and shifts offshore.
That setup will allow warm, humid air from the central United States to expand into the Midwest and East, bringing summer-like conditions ahead of Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer.
AccuWeather graphics show a significant warm-up from Sunday through Wednesday, May 20, as the jet stream shifts north and warmer air spreads eastward.
Another AccuWeather outlook shows summerlike conditions Monday, May 18, and Tuesday, May 19, with widespread highs in the 80s to low 90s. Some daily record highs may be challenged.
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Humidity will rise with the heat, making the warmup feel very different from the cooler pattern that dominated the first half of May.
“Given the forecast temperatures and humidity levels in the East early next week, it will feel more like summer than spring,” AccuWeather Vice President of Forecast Operations Dan DePodwin said. “In many areas, Tuesday will bring the highest temperatures of the year so far, surpassing the highs reached in April.”
New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, DC, all reached 90 degrees or higher in mid-April. Most areas have stayed well below 90 degrees so far in May.
In parts of New England, including Boston, residents are still waiting for their first 80-degree day of the year.
On Sunday, heat indices (the combination of temperature and humidity) will be around 91 degrees in New York, 93 degrees in Washington, DC, and 96 degrees in Richmond.
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