Cool Start To May, But Surging Temperatures Coming This Week
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- After a very cool start to the month of May, Mother Nature is finally sending some warmer weather into the Delaware Valley.
Not only is it going to warm up to Spring-like conditions but we could be looking for our first real push of summertime temperatures, including a chance for the first 90° day of 2017.
As we all know it has been a cool start to the month with temperatures just last week only topping out most days in the 50s and 60s across most of the Delaware and Lehigh Valleys and even down toward the Shore as well. When we take a look at the numbers for all three places to start out the month, we get a better picture of just how cool it has been and just how nice it will be to get this push of warmer air into the region for the week ahead.
So far in the month of May, in the city of Philadelphia, we have averaged a high temperature of 67°. When you compare this to average, we end up just shy of 3° below the normal temperature of 70.
As you head south toward the Shore Points the numbers get a little bit better but not a whole lot. On average so far in May along the coast, we have averaged a high of 66° or 2° below normal.
Finally, up in the Poconos we have averaged a high of 65° or just around 2° cooler than where we should be. These numbers don't tell the whole story either. As we break down the cooler weather for the first 14 days of the month even further you can really get a feel for just how non-Spring like it has been. So far in May, in Philadelphia we had cooler than normal temperatures 10 of the 14 days, with an average departure from normal, per day, that is 5.97°.
Areas near the Shore have been the coolest as compared to normal so far this month, with 8 of the first 14 days in May coming in below normal with average departure from normal, per day, that is 6.81° below average. Finally the Poconos has fared the best to the start out the month, but only by about a tenth of a degree. Like Philadelphia, 10 of the 14 days have been below normal but when you look at the departure from average, per day, we are 5.88° below where we need to be. So the struggle has been real for those of us around the region for the start of the month. Never fear though the warmer air is returning to the region starting today and lasting through the week.
Our forecasted high this Thursday is 90°. This would be the first time since last September that we either were at or above 90 in Philly, when we hit 92 on September 14th. Let's take a look at how hitting 90 in the middle of May stacks up to previous years on record, here in Philly and across the region. Generally in the Philadelphia area we hit 90 for the first time somewhere in the beginning of June. The exact date of the average time we usually hit 90 in Philly is June 10th. This means our forecasted high for Thursday is slightly ahead of schedule for the city since it will be coming on May 18th. However just last year we hit 90 on May 26th, and the earliest we have hit 90 in Philly is April 16th of 2002.
Thinking about the flip side of that then is the latest date for the first time to hit 90 in the city, and that answer is September 1st of 1945. Philly is the usually the first place in the region to get to 90, when comparing to the Shore or the Poconos. On average the Shore will hit 90 in the middle part of June, with June 14th being the average date of our first 90 along the coastline.
The earliest we have hit 90 Down the Shore was April 15th 1967. Interesting enough, the latest date for hitting 90 for the first time Down the Shore happened the very next year in 1968, when we had to wait until August 4th for the first 9-0 of the year. As expected the Poconos is usually the last place that we get our first day of 90s across the region. On average we hit 90 for the first time on June 17th, but last year we got to 90 just as early as Philly, hitting 90 for the first time last year on May 26th. The earliest that we have hit 90 to the north of the city was not that long ago in 2012, when we hit 90 for the first time on April 16th. Conversely, as expected the Poconos has the latest date for hitting 90 for the first time, when we had to wait all the way until September 5 in 1985 to get that warm.
Hope everyone is able to stay cool this week as we deal with this first real dose of Summer heat across the region.
