Philly This Week: Heat, Storms, Then Cooler

By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist

September 10,2013; 8:15PM,EDT

 

 

After a brief spell of late-summer heat, a couple of rounds of thunderstorms will roll through the Philadelphia area, followed by some of the coolest weather of the season so far.
The weather story into Thursday will be building heat and humidity as some of the toasty air from the Central states lunges eastward.
The brief pattern will bring the first 90-degree temperatures for Philadelphia since July. 21, but will not break a record streak of days.

According to Climatologist Jim Rourke, "During the summer of 1984, the last time the temperature reached 90 degrees at the airport was on July 11 and it never hit 90 for the balance of the season."
The combination of temperature, sunshine, humidity and other factors will make it feel close to 100 degrees for a few hours during the afternoons.
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In order for Philadelphia International Airport to officially record their hottest day of the summer season, the temperature would have to surpass the 98-degree mark set on July 18.

One or more rounds of thunderstorms are forecast from as early as Tuesday to Thursday night. The storms occurring are likely to occur on a regional basis. Any storm through Thursday can be locally strong with blinding downpours and gusty winds. A few areas could be hit with travel delays and sporadic power disruptions.
The storms will not break the heat until Thursday night.
By Friday, Canadian air will settle in over the region with much lower temperatures and humidity, as well as a gusty breeze. Some people will feel refreshed, while others may mind the sudden chill.
The pattern Friday into the weekend could yield some of the lowest temperatures of the season so far for the metro area and the region in general. High temperatures may fail to reach 70 degrees in some locations.
Meanwhile, Gabrielle is forecast to remain well offshore of New Jersey and Delaware waters this week, but it will impact Bermuda into Wednesday with heavy rain, gusty winds and rough seas.