It’s not often that Scranton residents Krystal and Marcos Almeida have the same day off from work, so Monday’s sunny weather was the perfect opportunity for them and their young son to enjoy the outdoors at South Abington Park.
Forecasters predicted an unseasonably hot start to the week heading into the Memorial Day weekend, with temperatures hitting above 90 degrees Monday and Tuesday, dipping to the 60s overnight.
The National Weather Service’s Binghamton, New York, forecast office said we didn’t break a record. The record high for May 18 was 93 degrees in 1962. The temperature fell just short of that, reaching only 91 degrees Monday. The temperature is expected to hit 92 degrees Tuesday.
Ben Lott, a meteorologist at the the NWS, said while it’s not unusual for temperatures to reach the 90s in May, the first 90-degree day generally doesn’t occur until early June.
“It’s a little early … but it’s also not unusual,” he said.
Unlike in the summer, Lott said it won’t be as humid.
“We are seeing dew points up into like the low 60s, so it might feel a little uncomfortable, but overall it’s not quite as bad as like maybe we’d see during like peak summer where, you know, those dew points might be closer to 70,” he said. “A little bit of humidity, but certainly not unbearable.”
Jeff Granza, a carpenter with Kriger Construction, said he welcomed the warmer temperatures during a break working on a streetscape project in the 400 block of Biden Street in downtown Scranton on Monday afternoon.
“I love it. It’s been a long time coming,” he said. “I can’t complain.”
Granza likes the sunshine, which he said brings out a good mood in everyone. He said he and his colleagues planned to stay cool with water from a cooler they brought with them, and taking breaks in the shade.
However, Granza said working in hot weather is better than doing so in colder temperatures.
“You’re not all bundled up, you can move around a lot easier,” he said.
Just up the street from the construction site, city residents Izael Flores and Brian Burd also used their days off from work to grab ice cream from Scoops on Spruce. Like Granza, Flores also planned to stay in the shade and drink water to stay cool, but said the sunshine felt good.
“You don’t want to be inside on a beautiful day,” he said.
A fisherman casts out a line as he wades through the Lackawanna River at the Blakely Borough Recreation Complex in Blakely Monday, May 18, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Gerald Smurl, of Scranton, puts up an American flag in Nay Aug Park in Scranton in preparation for Memorial Day Monday, May 18, 2026. Smurl, who volunteers every year to put the flags up, placed 36 flags around the park. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Students sit outside of the Weinberg Memorial Library on the University of Scranton’s campus in Scranton on Monday, May 18, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
A squirrel eats lunch at the Blakely Borough Recreation Complex in Blakely Monday, May 18, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
A crew from Kriger Construction works on a streetscape project in the 400 block of Biden Street in downtown Scranton Monday, May 18, 2026. (Christine Lee/Staff Photo)
Sebastian Almeida, 5, of Scranton, rides his scooter at South Abington Park Monday, May 18, 2026. (Christine Lee/Staff Photo)
Brian Burd, left, and Izael Flores, both of Scranton, enjoy ice cream outside Scoops on Spruce Monday, May 18, 2026. (Christine Lee/Staff Photo)
Show Caption
1 of 7
A fisherman casts out a line as he wades through the Lackawanna River at the Blakely Borough Recreation Complex in Blakely Monday, May 18, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Kayla Heim, Scoops on Spruce’s manager, said she saw an uptick in customers at the shop Monday afternoon, who came mostly for milkshakes and double scoops of ice cream.
“The sunshine brings everybody in, so can’t complain,” she said.
Krystal Almeida, who works as a cook at Allied Services, loves that she and her husband both got a day off that had nice weather. The two came to South Abington Park on Monday with their 5-year-old son, Sebastian Almeida.
“It’s rare cause usually our days off together are rainy and cold,” she said.
The couple likes that they weren’t working in a kitchen Monday, which they said can get unbearably hot compared to the weather they experienced at the park Monday. To stay cool, they dipped their feet into Leggetts Creek.
Local college students Andrew Williams of Dunmore and Mallory Knott of Clarks Summit liked the warm weather, seeing it as a good opportunity to eat lunch at South Abington Park.
Wind gusts were expected to be light Monday, up to 10 mph, Lott said, but he expects them to pick up tomorrow, going as high as 20 to 25 mph.
He said a large area of high pressure over the Northeast United States is bringing warmer air northward.
The warm temperatures will continue Wednesday, but with scattered rain showers in the forecast, the daytime temperatures will reach 85 degrees. Lott expects the rain to start early Wednesday morning and stop Wednesday night, with less than a quarter of an inch in the forecast.
He reminds anyone doing activities outdoors to stay hydrated and take frequent breaks.