Near-record heat today
The atmosphere, out of sync with the seasons since December, this afternoon will fast-forward to midsummer.
The atmosphere, out of sync with the seasons since December, this afternoon will fast-forward to midsummer.
The National Weather Service is calling for temperatures to rocket to 88 at Philadelphia International Airport, flirting with the record of 90 set during a premature heat wave 10 years ago.
It's been generally warm for months now, but today's temperatures are getting a boost from a disturbing trend - spreading dryness.
"Right at the surface, the ground is dry," said Mark DeLisi, the climate specialist at the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly.
Without water to evaporate, more of the sun's energy can be used to heat the ground.
For the month, rainfall through much of the region has been just 10 to 20 percent of normal. Since Jan. 1, precipitation has been roughly half of the long-term averages.
While groundwater and reservoir supplies remain reasonably healthy, plants are getting thirsty.
In the Northeast and MidAtlantic regions, from West Virginia to Maine, over two-thirds of the land area is in some state of drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Last year at the same time, the description applied to only 0.3 percent of the area.
Computer models are hinting at possibly substantial rain during the weekend or early next week, DeLisi said.
But several days out they were saying a decent soaking for the weekend that just ended. What we got was barely enough to wet the pollen.
DeLisi said he couldn't rule out yet another disappointment for the latest rain threat.
In any event, a modest cooldown will settle over the region starting tomorrow, when the high should stay below 80, and below 70 on Wednesday.
