Fall Begins Where Summer Left Off
By Geoff Bansen
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Earlier this morning at 4:21am, the CBS3 Morning show got to ring in the new season together.
Autumn is now underway, but let's take a moment to look back on the summer season.
After a soggy month of June, July and August saw both dry and steamy conditions. Temperatures were a combined 3.5° above average, with a joint rain deficit of 3.72".
And how about those summer weekends? After seeing a bit of rain on Independence Day, Philadelphia did not see any measurable rainfall on a Saturday or Sunday until September 12th!
Speaking of September, the month started off dry and sultry with lots of sunshine and seven 90°+ days, including the hottest temperature of the year of 96° on 9/3. The summer rain deficit was then quickly erased, as a whopping 4.76" of rain fell on September 10th.
Now, back to the present. The first day of fall will be a warm one, with a high near 80. Wednesday will also feature the return of sunny conditions, making it the 20th day of the month with at least some sunshine.
The big question that everyone wants to know the answer to: "what will the weather be like when the Pope comes to Philadelphia?"
Conditions will remain dry into the weekend, but we are watching an are of low pressure from the south will slowly move up the coast over the next several days. It will spin in more clouds for the weekend, and could send some showers Philly's way on Sunday.
Despite a large ridge that will keep it unseasonably warm for much of the country, clouds and an onshore breeze from this system will help to suppress weekend temperatures down into the lower 70s. This is a situation to keep a close eye on in the coming days.