Category Archives: Philadelphia Area Weather Forecasts

WEEKEND WEATHER FORECAST

#weather #paweather #wx #pawx #philadelphia #phillywx

Sunday Forecast Update — Monday Outlook

Update Sun 06/11 @ 9:01 AM — Today, we’ll finally see some summer-like weather. High temperatures 89º (Blue Bell) to 91º (Philadelphia). Some areas will experience some cloudiness at times during the afternoon today, but “partly to mostly sunny” is the standard terminology.

Dew points, according the the NBM, will be in the upper 50s instead of the upper 60s (as forecast yesterday), so it won’t be as humid as previously predicted.

Monday looks to be “interesting”, as a cold front moves through with much needed rain. Things are looking better for a good soaking in many (but not all) areas. The Canadian models are treating this as a warm front in the morning, followed by a cold front in the evening.

As a result, the RGEM and HRDPS have been predicting some shower activity as early as the late morning, followed by thunder showers from the afternoon through 9 PM.

Our NOAA models are underplaying the warm front and emphasizing the strong cold front, with showers and thunderstorms, from mid afternoon into the evening.

06z HRRR total accumulated rain forecast by Tuesday morning. Every model will show a very different range and areal coverage of precip, so don’t take the locations of the higher totals literally. (Click on image for a larger view.)

Precipitable water (PWAT) is in the 1.7″ to 2″ range, so some areas may get rainfall in that upper range. Generally 0.6″ to 2+ inches of rain is expected.

No tornadic activity is expected, and while strong storms are possible, many of the severity parameters are in the moderate range.

(I’m sure there will be official “severe thunderstorm warnings”, since there are liability issues in not issuing these. If you or your house gets hit by lightning, I guess it’s ‘severe’. )

Severity parameter forecasts have a strange way of dramatically increasing the day of the event, so I’ll be keeping an eye on this.


Saturday-Sunday Forecast Update

Update Sat 06/10 @ 9:28 AM — There’s some uncertainty with the amount of cloud cover for Sunday afternoon. Last night’s models showed only high level cirrus cloudiness, but several models are suggesting some periods of some mid and low level clouds (with sunny breaks) by mid afternoon.

The Canadian HRDPS is also showing the possibility of widely scattered showers/thundershowers far north of the city by 3-4 PM

Today’s 06z HRDPS forecast rain rate for 3-4 PM Sunday. (Black-grey = clouds). (Click on image for a larger view.)


Previously Posted Fri 5:30 PM —

Following the passage of an upper air trough through our area Friday evening, high pressure in the western Atlantic will circulate warmer air into our area over the weekend—

Today’s 12z ECMWF shows the departing upper low (blue L arrow) and the Bermuda High (H) in the Atlantic and its southwesterly flow bringing in warmer (and cleaner) air for the weekend. Out in the Midwest is our next system to affect us on Monday. (Click on image for larger view.)

As mentioned last week in several posts, there appears to be a breakdown happening in the long-standing Omega block (Ω) that has been responsible for our cooler and dry weather for the past 5 weeks.

The new pattern, expected by the end next week, will likely be much warmer for us, but it’s unclear that it will become much wetter as well.

Indeed, Monday’s cold front that should bring some significant showers and thunderstorms to areas west of us, but may not bring all that much rain to Philadelphia and New Jersey. We’ll have to see.

Saturday

Mostly sunny.

High temperature 80.4 sd 2.0º ( NBM model— location Blue Bell, PA)

Sunday

Mostly sunny in the morning, gradually increasing cloudiness in the afternoon as some moisture from the system in the Midwest moves in aloft.

High temperature 88.0º sd 1.5º ( NBM model— location Blue Bell, PA)

WEEKEND WEATHER FORECAST

#weather #paweather #wx #pawx #philadelphia #phillywx

Sunday Forecast Update

Update Sat 06/03 @ 8:45 PM — Little change in Sunday’s forecast. High temp 74.0º with a higher than usual standard deviation of 2.8º

The blocked pattern we’re in remains little changed through the end of the week. There’s some evidence that the cool cyclonic flow we’re in will breakdown sometime next weekend and that the block may shift or lose amplitude by the middle of the month.

NAEFS upper air (jet stream level 250 mb) wind flow for Tuesday shows several impulses expected to circulate around upper low over New England. These may spawn surface low pressure with an increased chance of some light shower activity on Tuesday

There’s also some suggestion that another upper low may move in to replace this one. We’ll have to wait to see.


How much rain did we get?

Update Sat 06/03 @ 10:42 AM —So how much rain did we get Friday evening? Here’s the MRMS radar- rain gauge estimate —

MRMS estimate of rainfall over the Philadelphia area Friday evening. Not much in most areas with a few lucky exceptions. (Click on image for a larger view.)

Update Sat 6/03 8:30 AM — More sun currently than forecast by most models (with the exception being the Canadian HRDPS). With most models, including the NBM, still showing the development of instability clouds, I’m going to stick with the forecast of cloudiness developing late morning into mid-afternoon, but it’s a low confidence forecast.


Previously Posted Fri 5:49 PM —

The blocking pattern will continue into this weekend as a well-entrenched Omega block (Ω) gets reinforced with a deepening cyclonic dip over our area that is pushing southwestward. A backdoor cold front is moving through this evening propelled by the upper level cyclonic dip—

Omega Block (white jet flow arrows) with sharpening upper air trough pushing southwestward (red arrow) (Click on image for a larger view.)

Saturday

An upper cyclonic flow will cause instability cloudiness. Minor chance of a sprinkle in the morning. A considerable amount of cloudiness morning into mid afternoon. More sunshine by late afternoon. Breezy and cool.

High temperature 74.1º sd 2.0º ( NBM model— location Blue Bell, PA)

Sunday

Sunny and cool. Breezy.

High temperature 75.3º sd 2.4º ( NBM model— location Blue Bell, PA)