Tracking potential impacts of Helene; rainy weather chances near Philadelphia on Wednesday
Happy Wednesday! We're tracking some rain today and the latest forecast models of Tropical Storm Helene, which could strengthen into a major hurricane and bring bands of tropical downpours to the Philadelphia region at the end of this week.
It'll be another gray day today, with a warm front lifting into the area. This will bring another round of scattered showers that could add some much-needed rain to the bucket, though it's likely not going to amount to much.
Some models hint at a quarter-plus inch of rain in spots to the northwest, which would be half of what we've had over the past five weeks.
It's looking like spots north and west of Philadelphia have the greatest chance at seeing some showers Wednesday afternoon and evening, which could linger into Thursday morning.
Thursday may start with some more showers, but as the warm front pushes north, we may brighten and warm in the afternoon with highs getting to around 80.
Friday looks to stay quiet as well, though it remains mostly cloudy. Starting late Friday or Friday night, we'll likely be in for some rainfall from Hurricane Helene.
Helene strengthened into a hurricane Wednesday morning as it moved into the southern Gulf of Mexico. Forecast wind speeds have increased to 125 mph (Category 3) as it approaches the big bend of Florida Thursday night.
Helene is then forecast to drift west toward the Mississippi Valley, but outer bands of clouds and showers will likely lift far enough north to impact our area by Friday night into Saturday.
As the storm stalls over the mid-South, we may dry out for some of the weekend, but we'll have to closely watch the path of the remnant low as it eventually drifts back east, and could bring shower chances to our area through the early part of next week.
The NEXT Weather team will continue to monitor this storm and any other chance of rain throughout the week to help you plan for any potential impacts.
Here's your 7-day forecast:
Wednesday: High of 72, low of 64, showers around
Thursday: High of 80, low of 68, warm, a shower
Friday: High of 77, low of 67, clouds, shower
Saturday: High of 76, low of 66, mostly cloudy
Sunday: High of 74, low of 62, clouds, some sun
Monday: High of 73, low of 59, partly cloudy
Tuesday: High of 75, low of 59, showers possible