Today could be the hottest day of the year so far for the Pittsburgh area
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Today has a chance of being the hottest day of the year throughout the Pittsburgh area.
Any Alert Days Ahead? I have bumped Wednesday up to a First Alert Weather Day due to a line of strong storms expected to slide through at or just after sunset. This isn't the biggest severe weather threat but any outside events should keep a close eye on the late afternoon to evening weather.
Aware: While the overall pattern looks cool over the next two weeks, today may be the hottest day of the year so far.
So far this year, 87° is the hottest we've been. We've hit 87° twice (May 3rd, 27th). I have our high-temperature today hitting 87°. Some model data puts highs as high as 89° today. While I can't rule out us being hotter than 87°, I think mostly cloudy skies for most of the day along with moderate humidity levels will mean it's going to be tough to get hotter than 87°. On the other side of the argument is that wind speeds will be light, limiting mixing of the atmosphere. Also, humidity levels won't be extreme, with dew points just in the 50s today. It takes more energy to warm humid air. So humidity levels in the low range may allow us to see temperatures a tick or two above 87°. Either way, the most likely high temperature in Pittsburgh is 87° today. I'll give around a 35 percent chance for us to see highs above 87° with a 65 percent chance for temperatures at or below 87°.
I have now named Wednesday as a First Alert Weather Day. While things aren't locked in just yet, a line of storms with strong winds will be possible late Wednesday afternoon into the evening hours. The timing of these storms will be important when it comes to our severe weather chances. If the line arrives earlier than expected, storms will be stronger. If the line of storms arrives later then we won't see much of anything. At this point, the biggest concern is straight-line destructive winds. Parts of the area are under a level one out of five severe risk with five being the highest. Even ahead of the storms, we will see a couple of chances for rain and even non-severe storms and downpours. I have Wednesday highs hitting the low 80s.
The rest of the week will be cooler with a passing shower or two possible.
The other big rain day looks to be on Sunday with a couple of fast-moving systems sliding by. The best chance for seeing rain on Sunday will come south of I-70.
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