Central Pennsylvania was not immune to the recent heat wave that swept the Northeast.
Further east in the Philadelphia region, high temperature records were broken, although the wider Harrisburg area only succeeded in matching earlier records.
Mike Dangelo, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service at State College, stated that Monday’s high temperature of 98 degrees tied the 1966 record. Yesterday’s high temperature of 98°C tied the previous record, which was set in 1966.
Naturally, the fact that it only matched a high temperature record indicates that it was still extremely hot.
“You would still receive a gold medal because it’s a tie,” Dangelo remarked.
Dangelo clarified that a high pressure dome over the eastern United States was the cause of this specific heat wave.
“Our dew points get muggier because we also had moisture coming up from the Gulf and off the Atlantic,” he said. And compared to simply having hot temps, that results in heat stress more quickly.
The high humidity in the air can occasionally result in lower temperatures. However, it may also indicate that heat persists beyond sunset.
Dangelo predicted there would be more precipitation soon. According to the National Weather Service prediction, there is a probability of thunderstorms later today and more are anticipated throughout the week.
The good news is that this heat wave is probably going to end tonight. At 8 p.m., the current severe heat warning will expire.
According to Dangelo, there will be a few more clouds in the next days, and we will also see some rains. In order to cool down, more people will take showers.
For the next two weeks or so, temperatures will remain hot but not above typical for this season.
But according to Dangelo, the Climate Prediction Center forecasts another three to four-day spell of exceptionally high temperatures in mid-July, from July 6 to July 19.
“It won’t be above normal for the majority of that time,” he stated. However, it will be higher than usual.
