Partial Relief

They lagged a few hours behind the cold front but the dew points are finally dropping this morning. The browns in this satellite image show dry air. The intense haze and humidity we've recently enjoyed should be gone for a few days. The catch? Drier air heats up faster than humid air so it's going to be plenty warm, highs in the 90s, until the next cold front passes on Friday night. Nonetheless, it should be a great night for watching The Big Lebowski on Pier 54.

The hot weather shouldn't come as a surprise. Gothamist checked the numbers and, climatologically speaking, these next three days are the warmest of the year, with high temperatures averaging 85 degrees and lows averaging 70.

Nor are we the only hot place. Central and western Arizona have been baking under 110-120 degree weather, with 13 deaths attributed to the heat. In Beijing, a hot weather holiday has been declared. Thousands of businesses will be closed until mid-August to reduce electricity consumption. Employees will still get paid, but they'll have to work six-day weeks in September.

The New York weekend is looking great: sunny, dry and mild!