BETHLEHEM, Pa. — After several consecutive days of record-high temperatures, the Lehigh Valley is set to experience another round of heat and humidity.
At Lehigh Valley International Airport, temperatures soared to 96 degrees Fahrenheit on both Saturday and Sunday, breaking the previous daytime record of 95 degrees Fahrenheit set in 1965.
The region recorded a record low of 71 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday, tying the highest low temperature recorded on that day in 2017.
But forecasters are warning that the heat wave that hit the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Monday will return, bringing another wave of strong to severe thunderstorms across the region.
A calm Tuesday sees a break from dry heat
The National Weather Service said high pressure will move south of the region on Tuesday but will continue to dominate, bringing sunny skies throughout the day.
The Lehigh Valley will see mostly sunny skies, but a west-southwest wind will bring a significant warmer temperature compared to Monday, with highs in the upper 80s Fahrenheit.
Good news?
“Though temperatures are rising, dew points will remain in a comfortable low 50s, providing a brief taste of the ‘dry heat’ weather that people across the Western U.S. are accustomed to,” the NWS’s latest forecast said.
Storms could shake the region
As the severe weather threat moves east, a wedge of less moist air will push out Wednesday, bringing the risk of hailstorms, damaging wind gusts and even tornadoes ahead of the cold front.
The Storm Prediction Center said the risk of severe weather will increase through the afternoon and evening, but it remains to be seen if any severe storms will persist as they approach the area.
“We don’t want to ignore this,” EPAWA meteorologist Bobby Martrich said in the latest video update.
Martrich said some models are showing the possibility of a mesoscale convective system, meaning larger thunderstorms, while others are rejecting the idea.
“Mesoscale convective systems may produce severe weather, with a slight risk of severe weather in the centre of the region as set out by the SPC,” he said.
Matrich said he wouldn’t be surprised if the weather forecast was upgraded to “enhanced risk of severe weather” on Wednesday.
“This poses the threat of damaging straight-line winds as well as the possibility of tornadoes occurring closest to the path of the low-pressure system,” he said, emphasizing that the path is key to the severe weather threat.
But despite the threat of storms on Wednesday, the weather service said the prospects for widespread rainfall amid current mostly dry conditions were not favourable, and hotter weather was expected next week, in time for Independence Day.
