Pittsburgh Weather: High heat Tuesday before First Alert Day on Wednesday
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - I'm not saying that we aren't going to hit 90 degrees, but we aren't going to hit 90 degrees again today.
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Today: Another hot one.
Alert: We are issuing a KDKA First Alert Weather Day for Wednesday afternoon/evening because of a line of strong to severe storms that will roll through mainly between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. We could see damaging wind and some hail. The biggest threat is Pittsburgh and areas north (south and east lower risk).
Aware: Hot today, storms likely Wednesday afternoon. Pleasant for the weekend.
You may be surprised to know that 90-degree days in May are fairly rare in Pittsburgh. How rare? The last time we hit 90 degrees in May was in 2018 when we did it once. Before that? 2012 and 2011 where we hit 90 degrees twice each year. Since 2000 we have hit the 90-degree mark on May 6 times.
In a span of 682 days, we have hit the 90-degree mark 682 times. That gives any given day a 0.0088 chance of hitting the 90-degree mark. If you look at most of our May 90-degree daily high temperatures they were hit before the Pittsburgh airport was built and our official temperature sensor was moved near there.
So now that I have said we aren't going to hit 90 degrees today (which means we will likely do it), let's talk about the forecast. Even if we don't hit 90, it's going to still be one of the hottest days so far this year with highs likely hitting the upper 80s. Yesterday's high was 86 degrees and I have dropped today's high to 88. The skies will be partly cloudy, similar to what we saw yesterday. Winds will be out of the west at around 10mph.
Looking ahead to the rest of the workweek, highs will be back in the mid-80s tomorrow with strong storms around as we head into the evening commute.
A First Alert Weather Day is possible and if things don't change, I foresee it being issued this evening. Looking at our severe weather chance, the biggest concern will come from large hail and gusty winds. Storms will move in from 4p through at least 7p. While we will be looking at a broken line rolling through, there will be areas with lots of lightning and heavy downpours and those are the places where we are the most concerned. The area is under a 'slight' risk or level 2 out of five. We are calling for scattered severe storms.
Behind the storms comes more seasonal weather. Great for opening windows to the house but not great for boating or other pool activities.
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