Storms, Record Heat Expected Wednesday In Eastern PA

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Wednesday's weather for Eastern Pennsylvania will feel more like July than October, with 90-degree heat, humidity, and storms in the forecast.

Record heat for October is expected this afternoon, with temperatures hitting the 90-degree range. And, like summer, thunderstorms may follow.

The temperatures will peak around 2 p.m. If the forecast is correct, the 90-degree temperatures would match records set on Oct. 2, 1927.

The heat will be sweltering with high humidity before the thunderstorms and rain arrives.

Rain is then expected to fall through Wednesday and Thursday, with the majority of it coming on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

On Friday, a change in the weather pattern will cool things down a bit. Temperatures will feel more typical of mid-October, rather than the middle of August, according to AccuWeather.

A cold front will travel "very slowly" southeastward off the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Coast into the Southeast and the Southern Plains by Friday, according to forecasters with the National Weather Service.

The burst of cool air will be "quite a shock," Paul Pastelok, AccuWeather's lead long-range forecaster, said in an AccuWeather news release.

When comparing highs from the peak of the heat this week to the late-night and early-morning lows this weekend, some locations could experience a 50-degree swing.

Here is the local forecast:

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. West wind 7 to 11 mph.

Tonight: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely after 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. Northeast wind 6 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Thursday: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 61. Northeast wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Thursday Night: Rain likely before 2am, then a chance of showers after 2am. Cloudy, with a low around 55. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 67. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 41.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 64.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 46.

Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 72.