First Alert Weather: Rain chance returns today; severe weather possible Wednesday
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Today and Wednesday are First Alert Weather Days.
Daily average High: 43 Low: 26
Sunrise: 6:58 Sunset: 6:10
Any Alert Days Ahead?: Today (uncertainty about strong storm chance) and Wednesday (level one marginal severe risk) are both FAWDs
Aware: The average HIGH for today is 43 degrees. Our actual LOW should be near 49 degrees.
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For today, the biggest impact is going to come after 1 p.m. this afternoon, with widespread-to-scattered rain showers and maybe even storms rumbling through the area. At this point, it looks like a rain event for most people.
Overnight into Wednesday is the bigger concern due to a heightened severe weather risk. With an upper low churning towards us to our west, we will be in an optimal 'lift' region. This means winds at the surface will be converging with diverging winds aloft. Large hail is the biggest concern overnight, with a couple of rounds of storms expected. Frequent lightning and heavy rain will also be possible.
After sunrise on Wednesday, we will begin to see the threat of severe winds picking up. There remain notable differences in the timing of a line of storms associated with the cold front blowing through. Some data has it moving through as early as 1 p.m. on Wednesday, with other data showing it rolling through closer to 6 p.m. The timing is important due to that being the time when severe weather chances end, with the rapid drop in temperatures happening quickly behind the line. I have the line rolling through around 1 p.m.
Related: Being prepared for high winds and hail amid potential rounds of severe weather
WATCH: KDKA-TV's Megan Shinn reports.
Back to today's forecast. I have highs in Pittsburgh hitting the low 60s, with cloudy skies for most of the day. The best chance to see some sunshine will come right at 7 a.m. Morning temperatures remained around 50 degrees. I think we will be in the mid-50s by noon.
The best chance for rain today will come in the late afternoon hours, with a brief scattered rain chance sliding through from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Looking ahead, we remain warm through Wednesday afternoon, with temperatures plunging heading into the evening hours. Morning lows on both Thursday and Friday will dip to the 20s. Thursday will be the coldest day of the week, with highs in the mid-30s. We don't stay cold for long, with highs near 50 on Friday and mid-50s for highs on Saturday.
We will be up near 70(!) for highs on Sunday and Monday.
