Record warmth possible on Halloween in Philadelphia as dry stretch continues, chance for rain Friday
It will feel more like summer than the last day of October as we will chase a record high of 82 set in 1946. That 82° record is the ONLY time Philadelphia has seen a high temperature in the 80s on Halloween since record keeping began more than 150 years ago.
That warm air will be ahead of a cold front, set to sweep through on Friday and bring us the chance for some showers. Though it doesn't look like enough to put a dent in the drought, it may put an end to this historic dry streak.
If we do get any rain, it will likely be between 8-10 a.m. and then the sun returns for the afternoon. The chill is on hold behind the front, so temperatures will still make it into the upper 70s on Friday before more seasonable low 60s return over the weekend.
If the showers on Friday fall apart before bringing measurable rain to the area, we will keep that dry stretch going. There's no rain in the forecast through the weekend and into next week, and we warm up again into the 70s for Election Day.
Nearly entire Philadelphia region under drought conditions
It's likely that October 2024 will go down in the record books as the driest month ever in Philadelphia history since records were started in the 1870s. Currently, our driest month is October of 1924 with only 0.09 inch of rain. This month, we have only had a trace and it doesn't look like we'll see much, if any, more.
The latest drought monitor update, released Thursday morning, shows 98% of the Philadelphia region is in drought, with 63% of the area under severe drought.
DROUGHT MONITOR | 98% of our area is in drought, including 63% in Severe Drought. https://t.co/hTJwkukVgG
— Meteorologist Grant Gilmore (@GrantGilmoreWX) October 31, 2024
This weekend also brings the end of Daylight Saving Time! Set those clocks back an hour before you head to bed Saturday night.
While "fall back" is generally thought to provide an extra hour of sleep, it also means the sunset time on Sunday will be at 4:55 p.m. - and it will stay in the 4 o'clock hour until January 15.
Here's your 7-day forecast:
Thursday: Halloween heat, high of 82, low of 59
Friday: Shower chance, high of 79, low of 67
Saturday: Crisp and cool, high of 63, low of 47
Sunday: Sunny and cool, high of 63, low of 40
Monday: Partly sunny, high of 69, low of 47
Tuesday: Warm for voters, high of 76, low of 57
Wednesday: Clouds, some sun, high of 79, low of 64