Summer heat refuses to relent
Soaring temperatures, high humidity expected to linger until Thursday
The beginning of the new school year is bringing the heat, at least through the middle of the week.
With a little more than three weeks officially remaining in summer, a ridge of high pressure will keep Western Pennsylvanians thinking more in terms of the Fourth of July than Labor Day when venturing outside.
Pat Herald, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, said Monday that the combination of high humidity and dew points in the 70s will make things uncomfortable through Wednesday. Dew points — the amount of moisture in the air — in excess of 70result in oppressive conditions.
The weather service forecasts mostly sunny conditions with a high of 90 on Tuesday, with a slight chance of rain. The heat index will reach the upper 90s in the afternoon.
Timothy McNulty, spokesman for Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, said in an email Monday the city had no plans as of yet to open cooling stations.
Nightfall also will not be kind, as lows will be in the 70s. Temperatures will reach the upper 80s Wednesday with high humidity and partly cloudy skies.
The dog days of August seem to be dying hard, but, “A front on Wednesday will provide some relief with rain,” Mr. Herald said.
Thursday’s high is expected to be in the upper 70s with a 50 percent chance of rain.
Friday’s high school football games likely will be played in more comfortable conditions, with a daytime high around 80 “with a small chance of showers,” Mr. Herald said.
The latest statistics confirm it has been a wet year, despite a dry spell in July. Rainfall for the year stood at 35.84 inches through Monday, 9.68 inches above normal.