Category Archives: Philadelphia Weather Outlook

PHILLY WEEKEND WEATHER OUTLOOK

[su_note note_color=”#d9f2da”]Fri Noon Update: Large differences between the NAM and GFS models.  The NAM has much of Saturday dry, the GFS has much of Sunday dry with the NAM having heavy rain on Sunday.  I’ll try to nail it down with a Friday evening update. [/su_note]

A quasi-stationary  frontal boundary will gradually pass through our area over the upcoming weekend and become quasi-stationary.

There’s much uncertainty about the timing and speed of this front as well as the final position of the front.  Impulses of low pressure are expected to develop along this boundary and bring showers as well as pulling the front alternately north and south.

As a result, the forecast for this weekend is very low confidence, but here’s the general trend-  Saturday will be the most unsettled with the highest chance of precipitation;  showers and thunderstorms are possible, especially in the afternoon, but possibly throughout the day as low pressure develops right over Philadelphia.   These will continue into the evening.

Low pressure exits on Sunday, giving a break in the showers early, with showers possibly developing again in the evening.   Sunday looks like the better day for outdoor activities.

The experimental EKDMOS captures the uncertainty- the spread on the high possible temperatures for Sunday 5/13 is incredibly large.

High Temperatures for Saturday and Sunday EKDMOS

PHILLY WEEKEND WEATHER OUTLOOK

A new feature- in addition to  my regular Friday evening weekend weather forecast, I’ll be offering a mid-week weekend weather outlook.   An outlook is different than a forecast- it identifies likely weather conditions,  but it doesn’t  get too specific.

And here it is, based on review of several experimental statistical models and the operational GFS…

A cool front will move through late Friday afternoon and evening as an upper trough builds in for the weekend.  The front stalls to our south.

The upper cyclonic flow combined with the stalled front will give unsettled conditions for Saturday and Sunday.  A mix of sun and clouds with the chance of showers, especially late afternoon on Saturday and Sunday.  It’s not a washout by any standards.    It’s more an issue of “self-destructive sunshine” as any sun may trigger clouds and scattered showers due to instability.   Again, showers most likely in the late afternoon.  Highs in the mid-70s.

The exact location of the stalled front will play a large role in how inclement the weather gets. The timing of upper air disturbances will also affect the forecast.

Thurs AM update- Things already have changed. The front stalls closer to our area.    Saturday has increasing chance of rain in the afternoon. Sunday is looking to be cloudy with rain.