The third weekend of August promises a delightful mix of weather in Connecticut. Cooler nights with lows in the 50s and pleasant afternoons with highs near or just above 80 degrees set the stage for a enjoyable few days. Today is expected to be the pick of the two days, with dry and bright conditions thanks to a high-pressure system keeping clouds at bay.
However, as we move into tomorrow, this high-pressure system will begin to shift offshore, allowing a southwesterly flow to develop. This change will bring back some mugginess and increase cloud cover. As evening approaches, rain becomes likely, with the potential for heavier downpours overnight. Parts of Connecticut are under a level 2 risk for excessive rain on Sunday night, making it our Next Big Thing to watch.
Looking ahead to next week
The rain that moves in late Sunday is expected to linger into Monday morning. After that, we can look forward to brighter conditions during the afternoon with highs in the lower 80s. The dry and bright weather pattern is expected to continue through Tuesday and Wednesday, with seasonably warm temperatures. By Thursday, there is some uncertainty surrounding a potential storm system, with showers at least being possible. Friday is expected to bring another refreshing and bright day.
Recent weather events in Connecticut
Connecticut has seen its share of significant weather events this summer. On August 7, a cluster of thunderstorms moved through the state, causing strong and at times severe weather. Trees were uprooted, and over 15,000 outages were reported. Flash flooding also occurred, with rainfall rates between 1 and 2 inches per hour under the downpours.
Heavy rain on August 3 led to numerous flooding incidents across the state. Officially, 3.59 inches of rain was received at Bradley Airport, while Bridgeport saw 0.97 inches. Both of these amounts set daily records for the 3rd of August. Similarly, a slow-moving upper-level low brought rounds of rain, heavy at times, on July 28-30. Rain totals were generally between 1 and 3 inches, but some areas ended up with 4 to 6 inches.
On July 21, tropical moisture pushed into Connecticut along a warm front, causing multiple reports of flash flooding, focused mostly on southern and western parts of the state. Fairfield County received 5 inches of rain with radar estimates up to 6 inches, while New Haven County reported amounts between 3 and 5 inches. Elsewhere, 1-3 inches of rain fell.
From July 5-7, showers began across parts of Connecticut as a boundary crept northward and then stalled out. The rainfall ramped up overnight into Monday, July 6th, with downpours embedded within the steady rain. Showers ended Tuesday, but not before adding more accumulation to the already impressive totals. Parts of Fairfield County received over 5 inches of rain, with Danbury recording 5.91 inches officially within that timeframe. Elsewhere at the shoreline, a widespread 3-5 inches of rain fell, while northern Connecticut ended up with 1-2 inches of rain.
On the evening of July 4th, after a hot and humid day, a cold front brought severe storms to Connecticut. A severe thunderstorm watch was issued across the state, with the first warnings being issued in the evening hours. While there was a line of severe-warned storms heading into Connecticut, a rogue cell out ahead of the line was dropping large hail and bringing damaging wind gusts. That was responsible for the reports of golf ball-sized hail in Forestville and Bristol. The storms moved from west to east, tagged as “destructive” at one point with gusts to 80 mph. Many towns reported downed trees and power lines, blocking roads and turning out the lights. Torrington, Harwinton, and Madison were some of the hardest hit towns. Outages peaked at over 100,000 between UI and Eversource.
The second heat wave of 2026 began on Tuesday, June 30, as temperatures peaked at 90 degrees. By Wednesday, July 1, temperatures soared to 95 degrees. The heat peaked on Thursday, with the Hartford area reaching the 100-degree mark, breaking the old record of 99 degrees set in 1966. The last time it was 100 degrees in the Hartford Area was on July 21, 2019. Heat index values peaked between 105 and 115 with an extreme heat Warning across Connecticut. Bridgeport’s record was 100 degrees, also set in 1966, but the high was 97 degrees. However, we did tie the record high minimum temperature of 73 degrees there. On July 3rd, temperatures reached 98 degrees, extending the heat wave. The heat wave continued into day 5 on the 4th of July with temperatures reaching 95 degrees for the Hartford Area.
An area of low pressure meandered south of Connecticut, keeping Memorial Day Weekend unsettled and cool. A statewide 1-2 inches of rain fell over the course of 72 hours, with Sunday being the wettest day of the stretch. It was unseasonably cool, with the Hartford Area high being 60 degrees on Saturday and 57 degrees on Sunday. The sun finally came out Monday evening.
As soon as the temperature hit 90 degrees at Bradley Airport at Noon on Tuesday, May 19, our first heat wave of the year became official. But it got hotter. With a high of 96 degrees, a new May 19th record for the Hartford Area was achieved. The prior record of 94 degrees was from 1962. One must go back to July 29th of last year to find a day equally as hot, making May 19th the hottest day in nearly 10 months. Wednesday, the 20th, we managed to eek out 90 degrees at Bradley, thus bringing our heat wave to four days.
