Monday, June 18, 2012
The hottest heat of 2012 so far could be upon the region on Wednesday and Thursday as temperatures hit the middle 90's.
While 2012 has started out on a hot note overall, June has not. In fact, June so far has had temperatures around a degree below through the month's first two-plus weeks. It's been a welcome respite from buzzing air conditioners and sweating at the drop of a hat. The bad news for those of us who like our summers not-so-hot is that things will change for the "official" start of summer on Wednesday as a ridge of high pressure builds in overhead for a couple of days, allowing temperatures to reach or breach the season's highest mark so far (94, last Sunday) on Thursday afternoon. Before that heat, Monday and Tuesday will provide a fair bit of cloud cover and perhaps even a few thunderstorms each afternoon. Odds don't favor much thunder …
Monday, June 11, 2012
Up to three inches of rain possible Tuesday night into Wednesday, then higher temps return
This weekend's foray into summery temperatures and warmth is thankfully not the start of a prolonged heat wave. The combination of a weak backdoor cool front pushing down from New England and a weakening ridge of high pressure in the atmosphere will help nudge temperatures back closer to reality for the start of the week. As the ridge of high pressure continues to weaken, a cool front to our west will nudge east towards us for the middle portions of the week, bringing us a potentially heavy rain and thunderstorm event for Tuesday night and Wednesday. Computer model projections range anywhere from an inch of rain to perhaps over three inches of rain for the Tuesday night and Wednesday time frame, with higher rainfall totals possible over …
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Strong thunderstorms could last for several hours this evening.
The Pottstown area could see significant thunderstorms starting around 7 p.m. today, said AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Mike Pigott. "You're looking at a couple of pretty strong thunderstorms," he said and added heavy downpours and damaging winds will likely be included. The heaviest rain and thunder will last until roughly 10 p.m., he said. After that time, spotty storms are expected to continue, Pigott said. Flash flooding could occur in poor drainage and low-lying areas, he said. The rest of the week, however, should be more mild, Pigott said. Here's the forecast: Wednesday - Partly sunny and warm with a shower or thunderstorm in spots, high of 85 degrees. Thursday - Mostly sunny, cooler, less humid, high of 77 degrees. …
Monday, May 14, 2012
Rain could be heavy Monday and Tuesday.
May is one of those months that can bring us summery heat, cool mornings, and sometimes frontal boundaries that like to hang out over the region as they lose their punch and run into the developing summertime Bermuda high in the Atlantic. We've had a few "slow moving fronts" through the region during the past three weeks. This week promises yet another front and another slow track through the region between Monday and Wednesday. It won't rain all day on Monday or Tuesday, but when it does, the rain could be heavy. Some spots could pick up a couple of inches of rain in the next couple of days. The best chances for heavier rain will be from Monday night into Tuesday morning. The main rain axis then shifts into New Jersey for the …
Monday, April 30, 2012
April ends on a cool note but May might not start the same way.
Sunday's coastal storm and its resulting hangover of cool weather in our region resulted in eight straight below average days through Sunday, which is the longest stretch of below average temperatures we've seen since the end of October. This stretch of March-like cool has about one more day in it before we have a quick rebound in weather as the pattern shifts, rather markedly, Monday night. A warm front Monday night will spread some showers and storms as it passes through the region. The forecast for Tuesday features optimistic highs in the upper half of the 70s based on an early departure of rainfall and the return of sunshine. If clouds linger and the warm front doesn't push far enough north, temperatures will end up a good bit cooler…
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Now, a flood watch is in effect for Montgomery County until 4 a.m. Monday.
While the National Weather Service issued a flood watch for portions of Montgomery County through late tonight, Pottstown probably won't face any serious water conditions, AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alan Reppert said on Sunday. Pottstown will likely receive roughly two inches of rain between now and Monday night, he said. "The rest of the week looks like it might be dry," Reppert said and added there could be some "minor" street flooding. "You're not looking at any flooding from rivers ... With it being so dry, the ground can absorb more water since it hasn't rained lately." Historical Crests for Schuylkill River at Pottstown (1) 29.97 ft on 06/23/1972 (2) 21.00 ft on 02/28/1902 (3) 20.84 ft on 06/29/2006 (4) 20.15 ft on 05/23/…
Monday, April 2, 2012
After one of the warmest months of March on record in our area, April starts on a much more "typical" note.
Despite the gloom and cool of last weekend, March 2012 was one of the warmest on record for our area. The major climate sites around town (Allentown, Reading, Philadelphia) all had their warmest (Allentown) or second warmest (the others) since records started in our region about 140 years ago. Reality returned to the region last week with freezing overnight lows on Monday night and a generally "average" week of late March weather. That reality continues into April, although with a few subtle differences. The good news is the coming week of weather will be mundane, with the only real chances of showers hitting the region on Tuesday night into Wednesday as another cool front drops down from Canada. The front does look pretty dry though as …
Monday, March 26, 2012
Hopefully you didn't plant flowers in your garden -- reality and typical March weather is on the march for the coming week.
Our fling with spring has done a wonder to green everything up around our region about three weeks ahead of schedule, bringing a look of late April to the region in late March. Given that temperatures the past two weeks had averaged closer to the beginning of May than the 20th of March will do that to any garden, yard, or tree. Unfortunately, the calendar does win out at this time of the year and since it's still March one can't fully discount the potential for at least some colder air to come back. The funny part about this chill is that it doesn't appear to be all that cold in the scheme of things - highs in the lower- and mid-50s is not too far removed from average for this time of the year (56). The problem is all of the buds on trees…
Tom Bartman
1:33 pm on Tuesday, June 19, 2012
The "sizzler" for today as told by ABCNBCCBSFOX is not gonna happen with that cloud cover and early morning rain. They've already began backing down from 86 to 82/83. The next chance for spectacular headlines will be Thursday to end the 2-day spike. GFS yields 97. more ›