Sunny skies, unseasonably warm in Philadelphia ahead of Phillies NLDS opener
After a little bit of low clouds and fog early Saturday morning, high pressure moves in to dominate our weather this weekend and provide plenty of sunshine and unseasonably warm afternoons.
Temperatures Saturday afternoon will peak in the upper 70s to right around 80 degrees, running nearly 10 degrees warmer than normal for this time of the year. While a little warm for early October, conditions will be perfect for the Phillies' Game 1 of the NLDS against the Mets this afternoon. Expect first-pitch temps in the mid-upper 70s under mostly sunny skies.
Skies will be clear with calm conditions tonight which will allow temperatures to cool quickly through the overnight. By sunrise Sunday morning, temperatures will be in the low 50s in the city with many surrounding areas dipping into the upper 40s. The Lehigh Valley will have lows Sunday morning the low-middle 40s.
Chance to see Northern Lights in Philadelphia area
In addition to clear skies and cool conditions tonight, the area may also get an opportunity to see the Northern Lights. An ongoing solar storm is expected to produce elevated aurora borealis activity which may be visible as far south as North Carolina. After sunset tonight look to the northern sky and you may be treated to a rare display of the Norther Lights in this part of the country.
After a cool start Sunday, temperatures will rebound quickly into the mid-upper 70s Sunday afternoon under mostly sunny skies. By Sunday night a fast-moving cold front will sweep through the region and could produce a few showers or embedded thunderstorms as it moves through. The chance of rain Sunday night will be mostly likely between 11 p.m. Sunday night through 3 a.m. Monday morning, clearing out for the bulk of the morning rush Monday morning.
Skies will then clear Monday morning and give way to more sunshine as cooler air begins to rush into the area from the northwest.
After that, we'll welcome in a brisk and cool pattern next week with highs only in the 60s and morning lows in the 40s!
Speaking of 40s, so far this season the coolest we've had is 54° back on Sept. 9, yet the average first occurrence of low temps in the 40s is Sept. 30. It looks like we dip into the 40s by midweek as that cooler air moves in from the north.
Tracking hurricanes, tropical storm chances
Turning to the tropics, Kirk continues to be a major hurricane, but has weakened from a category 4 to a category three hurricane as it tracks north through the open waters of the Atlantic. Leslie is now a hurricane as well, but poses no landfall threat at this point.
The main area of concern for the United States is a developing area of low pressure in the western Gulf of Mexico. There is now a high likelihood that is develops into a tropical system over the next few days as it tracks east across the Gulf toward the west coast of Florida. Forecast models are beginning to agree that this system will have a chance of becoming a hurricane before a potential direct hit on Florida into the middle of next week.
As always, the NEXT Weather Team will keep you and your family ahead of the storm and alert you to any potential impacts.
Here's your 7-day forecast:
Saturday: Sunny, nice. High 79, Low 61.
Sunday: Sunny. High 77, Low 52.
Monday: A.M. shower. High 72, Low 61.
Tuesday: Cool, bright. High 68, Low 52.
Wednesday: Sunny. High 67, Low 48.
Thursday: Sunny, cool. High 66, Low 48.
Friday: Showers possible. High 67, Low 48.
