Tropical Storm Fay may rain buckets on Lehigh Valley

Jersey, with 1-2 inches of rainfall over eastern Pennsylvania, including the Lehigh Valley. Depending on the track of the system, the Lehigh Valley could see heavier rainfall.

There will also be some gusty winds, rough surf and life-threatening rip currents at the shore.

The system should track out of the region late Friday evening.If the track holds, Fay would be the first tropical system to hit the Lehigh Valley since the remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon washed over the area in September 2018.

Gordon was the seventh named storm of the 2018 hurricane season and made landfall in Mississippi before tracking inland and weakening. Gordon’s remnants were ultimately absorbed by another large front, which brought heavy rain to the Lehigh Valley on Sept. 10.

In addition to the tropical system, an approaching cold front will also spread rain and storms into the area Friday night or Saturday.

Anyone with outdoor plans for the weekend should continue to monitor the forecast, with enough moisture and instability in the afternoon and early evening each day to result in scattered showers and thunderstorms.

The front is anticipated to move southeast early next week, the weather service says. As a result, there is a decreasing chance of precipitation Monday and Tuesday.

Temperatures should be in the mid-80s to the low 90s Saturday through Wednesday. The back half of next week could see temperatures bump into the low to mid-90s.

Morning Call reporter Stephanie Sigafoos can be reached at 610-820-6612 or ssigafoos@mcall.com.