Stormy Weather In Long-Term PA Summer Forecast

Wet weather and severe storms will hold back extreme heat in Pennsylvania this summer, according to a longterm forecast released this week by AccuWeather. Unlike the summer of 2016, when drought conditions gripped the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, the summer will bring on-and-off wet weather to both states, according to an AccuWeather release.

"Especially in June and July, we should see some showers and storms from time to time," AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Forecaster Paul Pastelok said in the release.

The moisture will help to hold back extreme and prolonged heat. "I think we'll have some hot weather, but it won't be as prolonged as we saw last year a couple of times," he said.

Some of that bad weather is expected to this week.

Northeastern I-95 cities, including Philadelphia, may end up with slightly more 90-degree days than normal - although still fewer than last year.

"[Areas] farther south may be at or slightly below normal due to a little bit more moisture over the summer," Pastelok said.

The forecast contradicts a report issued earlier this year that said warmer-than-usual temperatures are expected across much of Eastern Pennsylvania this summer, and the weather could also be dryer than normal.

The storms could be an extension of the tropical weather that's expected to hit the South. The weather is expected to be hot and occasionally stormy. Areas more likely to be impacted by the tropics early on include the western Gulf Coast, including New Orleans and Houston. The Carolina coast may also be at risk.

"I'd be concerned about Charleston up to Cape Hatteras," Pastelok said, adding that water temperatures are already running above normal in that area.

Meanwhile, showers are in the forecast for Eastern Pennsylvania on Friday and Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

Here is AccuWeather's forecast for the next three months:

Patch file photo