Light rain showers don't reach Philadelphia; region weathers fire danger today
Gusty winds, low humidity and the dry, leaf-strewn ground will lead to an enhanced risk of wildfire formation and spread. For this reason, we are issuing a NEXT Weather Alert for fire danger across the region. This alert will be in effect from 12 p.m. through 7 p.m.
Avoid any sort of open flame outdoors in the Philadelphia region today - certainly no bonfires or leaf burns, but even something small like a discarded smoldering match, a cigarette butt, or sparks from trucks dragging chains can lead to fire danger.
After a record warm Halloween in the 80s that felt more like August than October, we will start November on the warm side with highs in the mid and upper 70s.
A cold front is crossing the area today and has brought scattered light showers to the region this morning. While the Philadelphia airport did report light rain falling, they haven't reported anything measurable. The region's dry streak, currently 33 days, will continue.
The front is mostly adding insult to injury. It's not producing nearly enough rain to alleviate the drought conditions, and once it moves through the area midday, it will kick up a strong, gusty west wind. Humidity levels will drop sharply behind the front as well.
Once the sun goes down, winds will diminish and while the weekend will be very dry, the wind shouldn't be strong enough to lead to fire warnings, though the danger remains. Speaking of the weekend you will need the jackets, sweatshirts or hoodies once again. Morning lows will be in the upper 30s to low 40s and daytime highs will struggle to reach the lower 60s. At least there will be plenty of sunshine on both days.
Don't forget to turn your clocks back 1 hour before going to bed on Saturday night. Daylight Saving Time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday. That means an extra hour of sleep. It also means an earlier sunrise and earlier sunset. Sunday's sunset will be before 5 p.m. This is also the time to change batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
If you're headed to Happy Valley for the Penn State - Ohio State college football game at noon on Saturday, expect some seasonable and crisp football weather with kickoff temperatures in the upper 40s and a good deal of sunshine. The weather on Sunday looks perfect for the Eagles as they host Jacksonville at the Linc. Kickoff will be sunny and 62 degrees.
By Monday temperatures are back on the rise and on Election Day we top out in the upper 70s with sunshine - it may be the warmest Presidential Election Day in Philadelphia history. Wednesday remains mild as another front approaches with a chance of showers.
The severe drought has spread across the entire region and with only a chance for spotty showers in the next seven days, it is likely to reach the extreme level for parts of the area next week. The last time any part of our area reached the "extreme" level was in 2002, meaning this is likely the worst drought we have experienced in over 2 decades.
Here's your 7-day forecast:
Friday: Warm, a shower? High of 79, low of 67
Saturday: Cooler, sun, high of 63, low of 48
Sunday: Crisp and cool, high of 61, low of 40
Monday: Mostly sunny, high of 68, low of 43
Tuesday: Warm for voters, high of 78, low of 56
Wednesday: A shower? High of 77, low of 64
Thursday: Clouds, some sun, high of 68, low of 57
