Hot week ahead for Western Pa. with possible record highs

The dog days of August are going out in a blaze of hot temperatures that could threaten record highs for this time of year.

The National Weather Service in Moon was predicting a high temperature of 92 degrees for Tuesday. The record for Aug. 24, set in 1918, is 94. Temperatures are expected to remain in the 90s at least through Friday which would be one of the hottest stretches this summer. According to the NWS, the region has had only four 90 degrees days so far this year, before Tuesday. The seasonal average is 10. The normal high temperature range for this time of year is in the low- to mid-80s.

Perhaps this summer has seemed hotter because Western Pennsylvania has experienced a lot of days with temperatures in the high 80s, said meteorologist Michael Brown of the National Weather Service in Moon.

Adding to the intensity is a heat index also expected to be in the low to mid 90s across the region for the remainder of the week.

“A high pressure system is bringing lots of warm air to the surface,” said meteorologist Shannon Hefferan. “Everybody should put some sun block on and take precautions for any kind of heat stress. Make sure kids and animals are out of your car.”

Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has issued an Air Quality Action Day for Ozone in Allegheny County and surrounding counties for Wednesday as well as other parts of the state. The forecast is expected to move air quality into the ORANGE range — meaning there will be unhealthy ozone levels for sensitive groups of people.

On Air Quality Action Days, young children, the elderly, pregnant women and those with respiratory problems should limit outdoor activities, the state DEP said. It also encourages residents to save energy by keeping window shades/blinds closed during the day to cut down on air conditioning.

The heat and humidity will not be our friend today.

Remember, the heat index is what the temperature feels like to the human body when relative humidity is combined with the air temperature. pic.twitter.com/Pu6ASZZzuU

— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) August 24, 2021

Hefferan said she doesn’t expect to see much in the way of rain or thundershowers the rest of the week.

The good news is that a cool down is expected this weekend or early next week.

“It looks like the period at the end of August and on into September, another front moves through here and we’ll go back to our normal average highs around 80 degrees and maybe hit some low temperatures in the 50s, finally, by Sept. 1,” she said.

Herreran said the more things cool down, the more beautiful the leaves will be when fall begins.

“The trees want some cooler soil. We need some cool nights and cool air temperatures to start the process of the fall leaves changing,” she said. “We had that pretty early last year and kicked off the fall season early.”