The end of the heat wave in Happy Valley is in sight. Here’s when to expect some relief
Despite how it’s felt, the heat wave sweeping across the Northeast this week hasn’t broken any records in central Pennsylvania, where relief is on the way as temperatures begin to cool down starting Monday.
The National Weather Service originally issued a heat advisory for the region effective through Thursday, but it’s since been extended through 8 p.m. Saturday. As of Friday afternoon, AccuWeather’s forecasts for the State College area call for mid-day thunderstorms over the weekend followed by a high temperature of 81 degrees Monday.
Throughout the week, forecasts predict highs of 87 Tuesday, 89 Wednesday, 83 Thursday and 79 on June 28, with lows in the late-50s to mid-60s.
“We can thank the rain,” Jeff Nordeen, an AccuWeather meteorologist, said Friday. “That’s really what it’s going to be — the rain and storms on Sunday is going to help with taking away the humidity.”
The comparably cooler weather will come after a week of highs in the late 80s and low 90s, though the hottest days are still yet to come. Forecasts for both Friday and Saturday predict a high of 93 degrees, while temperatures over the past few days maxed out at 90 degrees.
Those 93-degree days come closest to breaking records for State College June temperatures, according to NWS. The highest maximum temperature recorded for both June 21 and 22 is 94 degrees, records set in 1953 and 1988, respectively.
An upcoming cold front is to thank for the heat wave’s end, bringing cooler winds east, Nordeen said.
“The spotty pop-up showers and storms (Friday and Saturday) aren’t going to do much because it’s not officially pushing through and it’s a stationary front,” he said. “When winds shift out of the west and north, we typically see cooler temperatures, and the humidity will also be taken with it.”
But Happy Valley can still expect warmer-than-average temperatures throughout the rest of the summer. Long-range forecasts for June and July anticipate temperatures two to three degrees higher than average in central Pennsylvania, Nordeen said. With July typically bringing temperatures in the low- to mid-80s, he said, any more 90-degree stretches could still challenge records.
Precipitation forecasts for July are trending only slightly below average, Nordeen said.
“A little bit below is the best-case scenario,” he said. “Worst case, we could see the month end up being pretty dry, and what that does is, of course, there’s nothing to cool down the atmosphere.”
Looking to the rest of the summer, Nordeen advises people to not just remember to stay hydrated but also replenish electrolytes lost through sweating. For anyone outside during peak heating hours — 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. — take advantage of shade, fans and water misters to stay cool.
