August 12, 2019
Here's the good news first: Next weekend's weather is looking much like today: sunny and warm.
The bad news?
It could be a rocky couple of days getting there.
The latest storms to roll through the Philadelphia region look to arrive midweek, with lots of potential hazards on the menu: damaging winds, tornadoes, large hail, and heavy rainfall that could produce localized flash flooding, according to the National Weather Service.
A period of unsettled weather looks to set up beginning Tuesday morning. Strong to severe thunderstorms may develop by the afternoon, with the latest models suggesting the most severe weather will be from the city to South Jersey, forecasters said.
The greatest threat for flash flooding appears to be along the I-95 corridor eastward toward Ocean County and also to the north in eastern Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey, where widespread amounts of 1-2 inches of rain can be expected with higher amounts in some locations.
And while the details around the storms are still a bit unclear at this point, all severe weather modes, including the aforementioned damaging winds, tornadoes and large hail, are possible Tuesday afternoon and evening. Forecasters did say that large hail appears to be the lesser of these threats at the moment, with flash flooding most likely where the heaviest storms begin to train over the same areas. Motorists are reminded to avoid driving their vehicles into hazardous flood water.
With the frontal boundary likely to stall just to our south, late Tuesday into early Wednesday, conditions will be favorable for more showers and storms on Wednesday and into Thursday, especially in South Jersey and other places south of Philadelphia.
High pressure is then forecasted to build to our north across New England so there is a good chance for drier weather by Friday and into the weekend. Temperatures will be near normal with decreasing humidity.
Here is the 7-day forecast for Philadelphia from the weather service:
Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 89. Light west wind becoming southwest 5 to 9 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 72. South wind around 8 mph.
Tuesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 3 p.m. Some storms could be severe, with hail, damaging winds, and heavy rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 88. Southwest wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tuesday night: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 3 a.m. Some storms could be severe, with hail, damaging winds, gusty winds, and heavy rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. Southwest wind 5 to 8 mph becoming light and variable. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.
Wednesday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 85. North wind 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Wednesday night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Thursday: A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 3 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 84. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.
Thursday night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 84.
Friday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 67.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 85.
Saturday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 68.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 87.
