Heating Up Today In More Ways Than One

Our first real run to 90 starts today -- not everyone will get there but many locations will flirt with the "vaunted" demarcation of heat this afternoon as the first fingers of the heat ridge that will be with us for much of the next week build in over the region.   The best chance of 90 degree readings will be at the typical 'warm' sites like Pottstown and Northeast Philadelphia, places that typically run a degree or so warmer than everyone else.  Humidity levels will be a notch higher than yesterday and it will feel somewhat humid out -- not oppressively nasty in the humidity department but it will definitely feel like a summery day as we get ready for the Memorial Day weekend.

The warmth is out ahead of a frontal boundary and storm system -- the same storm system  that is responsible for all of the severe weather that raked across the Midwest and the Great Lakes yesterday.   This system will work northeast and the trailing front will slow in its approach, rebuffed by the upper level high building to the south and east of it.   As a result, while a slight risk of severe weather is out for much of Pennsylvania it does not include the immediate Philadelphia area as we should coax a thunder-free day in the immediate city.    Thunderstorms will pop up, however, to our north/west in the afternoon and lift northeast, some of which will bring large hail and damaging wind.   There's a 30% risk of severe criteria in wind and hail near one's location per the Storm Prediction Center in Central and Northeast Pennsylvania, generally to the west and north of I-81.   Given this storm system's propensity to produce tornadoes, those can't be ruled out in Central PA later today as well.

Storms could glance into the Lehigh Valley and Berks County but even there the storm chances are not that high, at least compared to farther west and north.    Again, this should avoid the immediate area today...probably won't tomorrow as the front moves in.  The dynamics tomorrow won't be as good as the surface low is farther removed but the presence of the boundary combined with heat and humidity will make for scattered storms again tomorrow.

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