As a cold front brought cloud cover and rain showers to portions of the state throughout the day today, we will open up the weekend on a drier and calmer note with seasonable temperatures and humidity levels. It will be a great way to start off the weekend with any outdoor plans across Pennsylvania. However, the end to the weekend will be uncertain and potentially troublesome as a cold front will begin to approach the state. If you have outdoor plans, make sure to read the rest of the blog post for a day-by-day basis!
If you need a localized wx forecast for your weekend plan/activity, please email [email protected].
SURFACE PRESSURE MAP
While the weekend will begin out dry and calm with a high-pressure system, a cold front will begin to approach from the west and move through the region Sunday afternoon and evening. This will bring in the potential storm chances and perhaps a low-end severe weather risk.
Friday, August 22 – Dry and Sunny, A Perfect Day!
The end of the workweek and start of the weekend looks to be picture-perfect! A high-pressure system over the region will allow for sunny skies and high temperatures in the upper-70s to low-80s. You could not ask for a much better late August afternoon. Dew point values will be in the 50s as well, making it feel very comfortable. The highest temperature will be in Pittsburgh of 85 degrees.
Saturday, August 23– Another Mostly Sunny and Dry Day!
Saturday will be a near repeat of Friday, with our high-pressure system holding strong, allowing for a mostly sunny to partly cloudy approach across the Commonwealth. High temperatures will range from the upper-70s to upper-80s. A very, very low chance for an isolated pop-up shower cannot be ruled out later in the afternoon across western PA and along the Laurel Ridges, but the chance is too low to mention. The highest temperature will be in Pittsburgh of 87 degrees.
Sunday, August 24 – Cold Front Brings Showers and Storms
The end of the weekend looks to be on the unsettled side as our cold front begins to approach the region. This will allow for isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening hours. With the strength of the cold front and the potential for instability and wind shear, there will also be a low-end risk for severe weather, with primarily damaging wind gusts being the main risk. I will continue to provide updates ahead of this risk, so make sure to stay tuned on the social media pages. If you have outdoor plans on Sunday, it is important to stay tuned to updates and have a plan B in case the precipitation risk increases, but neverthless, I should expect there to be dry times primarily in the morning and early afternoon.
AREA A – Right now, a scattered risk for showers and thunderstorms (30 – 50%) but some areas of widespread showers and thunderstorms (55 – 75%) may be possible once confidence increases. A few stronger storms cannot be ruled out, with strong to damaging wind gusts being the primary risk. Stay tuned and keep this in the back of your mind with expected updates throughout the weekend!
AREA B – Right now, an isolated risk for showers and thunderstorms (15 – 30%) but some areas of scattered showers and thunderstorms (35 – 55%) may be possible once confidence increases. Severe weather and flooding is not generally expected at the moment in these zones, but cannot be ruled out. Stay tuned and keep this in the back of your mind with expected updates throughout the weekend!
SUMMARY
- Friday (Aug 22): Sunny, dry, and comfortable with highs in the upper-70s to low-80s. Pittsburgh tops out near 85°F. Dew points in the 50s will make it feel very pleasant.
- Saturday (Aug 23): Another mostly sunny day with highs in the upper-70s to upper-80s. A stray shower in western PA or along the Laurel Ridges is not ruled out (<15%), but most stay dry. Pittsburgh warms to around 87°F.
- Sunday (Aug 24): A cold front brings increasing chances for showers and thunderstorms, mainly in the afternoon and evening. There’s a low-end severe risk with damaging wind gusts possible. Expect dry time early in the day before storms develop.
Bottom line: The weekend starts sunny, dry, and comfortable Friday and Saturday, but a cold front will bring showers and storms by Sunday afternoon and evening. Most of the weekend will feature dry time, though some storms could turn strong late Sunday.
That is all for this early preview of the Pennsylvania weekend outlook. I hope to continue to expand these to bring more details to your weekend weather. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out!
FIND YOUR LOCATION FORECAST HERE: https://paweatherplus.com/your-local-weather/
– Meteorologist Denys K
