Pittsburgh is about to have a meteorological rollercoaster of a week. The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh has released its latest forecast, and it's got just about everything: some foggy mornings, a dip in temperatures, and a climb right back into a heatwave with potential triple-digit feels.
Starting today, isolated showers and storms might pop up with marginal severe flood threats, making their evening comeos. But that's just the prelude to a more settled spate of weather early in the week, featuring cooler temperatures, no rainfall, and low humidity. Hang on to your hats, though, because arriving late in the week, heat and humidity are staging a comeback along with some increased chances for storms.
For those early birds and commuters out there, watch out for some patchy dense fog in the northern WV and WV ridges this morning. The fog is set to clear as the day progresses, thanks to high pressure and cooler northerly air nudging in. If you're a fan of cooler weather, enjoy the below-average temperatures slated for tonight, with the potential for denser fog resulting from clear skies and calm winds. According to the National Weather Service's forecast discussion, temperatures in the overnight period are expected to be 10 degrees or more below normal.
The midweek outlook from Tuesday into Thursday looks dry and calm under high pressure, but don't get too comfortable. Highs around 90 degrees are expected, with heat indices soaring around the 100°F mark by Thursday. Even though high confidence in VFR and dry weather is expected, the ridge's eastward shift is almost placing Pittsburgh in a heat dome, heating things again under the watchful eye of the high-pressure system.
As if the week doesn't already have enough temperature twists, by the weekend, the heat and humidity are ramping up even more. Add to that an increase in storm chances, thanks to the ridge breaking down and an active jet stream playing its part, the weekend's forecast becomes a whole new ballgame. A shortwave passing the Great Lakes region Friday and into Saturday will bring a return to the weather that has been in place over the past couple of weeks, as recorded in the forecast discussion by the NWS Pittsburgh.
Aviation forecasts indicate that, as of this morning, rain showers are expected to have cleared, resulting in VFR (Visual Flight Rules) conditions after 15z today. But pilots beware, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings may come with localized river valley fog that could affect river valley terminals—a reminder that Mother Nature likes to throw a curveball, especially at altitude.
