7:00 AM | *Not far from 70 degrees this afternoon...much colder and windy on Friday...lunar eclipse late tonight weather permitting*
Paul Dorian
6-Day forecast for the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania metro region
Today
Sun followed by late day increasing clouds, becoming breezy and very mild, showers are possible by day’s end, highs near 70 degrees; SW winds increasing to 10-20 mph
Tonight
Showers likely in the evening and gradual clearing after midnight, windy and turning colder late, lows in the middle 30’s
Friday
Mainly sunny, windy and cold, middle 40’s for afternoon highs
Friday Night
Mainly clear, quite cold with some of the lowest readings so far, mid-to-upper 20’s for late night lows
Saturday
Mainly sunny, cold, but not as windy as Friday, mid-to-upper 40’s
Sunday
Mainly cloudy, a bit milder, low-to-mid 50’s; showers likely at night
Monday
Mainly cloudy, chilly, showers likely, lower 50’s
Tuesday
Partly sunny, windy, quite cold, chance of snow showers, near 40 degrees
Discussion
The warm up that began on Wednesday will peak this afternoon with temperatures climbing towards the 70 degree mark just ahead of the next strong cold front. The passage of this next cold front will come with a few showers and it’ll usher in much colder air for Friday and there will be a noticeable NW wind to make it feel even colder than the actual air temperature. It remains cold on Saturday with the day likely starting in the mid-to-upper 20’s in most spots, but the wind will be less of a factor compared to Friday. Another strong cold front will arrive by early next week with showers likely on Sunday night and Monday morning and this system will usher in the coldest air mass so far this season. By Tuesday, temperatures will be well below-normal and winds will be strong from the northwest and instability in the atmosphere could cause some snow shower activity in the Mid-Atlantic region. It looks quieter again for the busy travel days of next Wednesday and Thursday.
One final note, there will be a partial (almost total at 97%) eclipse of the moon very late tonight from 2:18 AM to 5:47 AM (with peak around 4:02 AM). This is actually going to be the longest partial lunar eclipse in nearly 600 years. It’ll be a close call with respect to the sky cover as clouds should gradually clear after midnight and it’ll be cold and windy.
Meteorologist Paul Dorian