Pittsburgh: Warmth Set to Build This Weekend, Continue Next Week

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist

August 13,2015; 9:08PM,EDT

 

 

An extended period of summer weather is set to develop around Pittsburgh beginning this weekend.
The weather pattern from Saturday through much of next week will feature daytime highs well into the 80s F. Some locations may touch 90. The average high for Pittsburgh during the middle of August is in the low 80s.

Warmer Air, Higher Humidity Arrive in Northeast Friday

Humidity levels starting this weekend will be typical of August and higher than recent days.
The weather will provide an excellent opportunity to hit the pool or beach. Water temperatures are around their highest point of the summer right now.

The only potential trouble maker will be a weakening front dropping in from the northwest this weekend. There is a remote chance of a popup thunderstorm each evening Friday through Sunday. The vast majority of the time will be rain-free.
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Patchy clouds and wind direction could cause some daily temperature variations.
Fans and air conditioners will be a-buzz for many days in a row. The pattern has the potential to deliver the warmest weather of the summer season on a consistent basis. So far this year, Pittsburgh has hit 90 or higher on four days, as of Aug. 12. During 2014, the temperature never hit 90. The average is eight days. Official measurements are taken at Pittsburgh International Airport and not downtown.
According to AccuWeather Chief Long Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok, the weather pattern for much of the mid-Atlantic and southern New England through September will be quite warm.
"We expect there to be more days that are warmer than average, rather than cooler than average," Pastelok said. "For the Northeast in general, we are likely to have a number of days were some locations set record high temperatures."
A long string of days in a row with temperatures hitting 90 is not likely due to Pittsburgh's location, nestled just west of the Appalachians with prevailing winds ascending from the west and southwest.
Average temperatures trend slowly downward during late August and September.