Hot and humid today in Philadelphia area, excessive heat and chance for severe storms Wednesday
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Today will be hot once again in the Philadelphia region, with high temperatures right back into the upper 80s to near 90 degrees. The chance of rain, however, will stay away, allowing the heat and humidity to carry us through the entire day.
An air quality alert is in effect from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. on Tuesday due to increased ozone in the air from the heat, sunshine and light winds.
Even more heat will build in the region Wednesday as temperatures soar into the low to middle 90s tomorrow afternoon, with feels-like temperatures likely ranging from 100-103 degrees. An excessive heat warning was issued for Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. A code orange air quality alert was also issued.
Late Wednesday, the heat and humidity will help fuel the chance for showers and storms through the evening.
Wednesday is a NEXT Weather Alert day because of heat and storm risk.
Code Orange air quality alert issued for Wednesday
During code orange alerts, members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. Ozone pollution is in the hot air over the Philadelphia region, and doctors say it's potentially dangerous.
"Each time the air quality gets worse, we increased levels of or exacerbations of patients with asthma or COPD," Dr. Daryl Banda said.
In addition to people with respiratory issues, air quality alert days can impact the elderly, young children and people with heart conditions.
While the general public is less likely to be affected on code orange days, the Lung Association has a warning.
"Anyone breathing these pollutants can have long-lasting effects," Deb Brown, chief mission officer for the Lung Association, said. "Unless emissions decline, pollution will continue to put the public health at risk."
Exposure to ozone can irritate the nose, throat or lungs. To avoid this, people are advised to do less strenuous activities, like walking instead of running, so they don't breathe as hard.
Code orange precautions for high-risk groups include limiting time outside, taking recommended medications, and considering wearing a mask.
Doctors say if you have to be outside on these bad air days, it's best to go in the early morning or evening. Ozone levels tend to peak in the mid-afternoon and early evening.
Keep the windows and doors closed and run the air conditioning on the recirculate setting to keep your indoor air healthy.
Some of the storms on Wednesday afternoon and evening could become severe, with damaging winds and hail being the primary concerns. Right now, the storms look to move out of the Poconos and into Lehigh Valley through the second half of the afternoon and toward the Delaware Valley into the evening hours.
The threat of severe weather will then weaken as the storms continue to track southeast into Wednesday night.
The storms Wednesday afternoon will be ahead of a cold front that will sweep through the region to usher in more seasonable conditions for the second half of the week. Highs Thursday afternoon will be in the middle 80s, with highs only around 80 degrees Friday.
By Saturday, another storm system will bring the chance for scattered showers and storms to the region. These storms will be most likely through the afternoon and may linger overnight Saturday into early Sunday morning.
Here's your 7-day forecast:
Tuesday: High of 90, low of 67, mostly sunny
Wednesday: High of 96, low of 71, heat and storms
Thursday: High of 81, low of 73, clouds, some sun
Friday: High of 77, low of 67, clouds, some sun
Saturday: High of 82, low of 69, scattered storms
Sunday: High of 86, low of 70, clearing
Monday: High of 82, low of 69, partly cloudy
