The Philadelphia region may experience thunderstorms, with gusty winds and heavy rainfall and even a slight chance of a tornado, on Saturday afternoon.
The National Weather Service’s Mount Holly office forecasts an 80% chance of rain in the afternoon through tonight, with showers and thunderstorms.
Weather Service meteorologist Zack Cooper said the peak storm threat in the Philadelphia area will be between roughly 4 and 8 p.m.
“It looks like storms will begin to fire up ahead of a cold front that’s going to be moving through late this afternoon,” Cooper said. “The main threat’s going to be damaging winds, but there’s also low potential for a tornado or two, and also local flash flooding.”
» READ MORE: Why storm warnings in Philly sometimes have no warning
What’s causing it?
Cooper said the primary cause is a cold front, passing through from the afternoon through to overnight.
There’s been a pattern since the middle of the week of troughs lifting air, causing storms, with a separate front causing the storm that paused the Eagles-Cowboys game for an hour on Thursday, Cooper said.
Once the front passes through, temperatures are forecast to cool off, with lows in the lower 60s Saturday night.
What to do if you’re caught in the weather?
Cooper said the first step to being prepared is to have a way to receive weather alerts for hazardous weather that’s approaching.
It’s also important to be prepared to go to nearby shelter, preferably a sturdy structure.
“In the case of any thunderstorm, you want a place indoors, you know, where you’re not going to be at risk of lightning,” he said.
What’s next?
The forecast for Sunday morning is mostly cloudy skies, with a 40% chance of showers and highs in the lower 70s. Sunday night is expected to reach relatively crisp lows in the mid-50s. Monday and Tuesday are forecast to be sunny, with highs in the mid-70s.
What else is happening with the weather?
The potential thunderstorms aren’t the only noteworthy weather phenomenon today. The sun was bright red on the horizon this morning.
Cooper said that was the result of wildfires in the western United States, and the strong local weather pattern was merely coincidental.
Source link
