Temperatures are running higher than normal in the Pittsburgh region.

“High temperatures since the weekend have been in the 80s,” said WTAE meteorologist Jill Szwed. “Normal high temperatures for the end of May are in the low/mid 70s.”

Szwed said currently, the Pittsburgh area is running 10 to 15 degrees above normal temperatures for this time.

Tuesday’s record high temperature was set in 1911 at 92 degrees, according to Szwed. WTAE’s weather forecast for the day is a high of 89 degrees.

The heat forced Pittsburgh Public Schools to transition students and staff to remote learning Tuesday and Wednesday at more than half its schools.

Jason Frazier, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Moon, said the average high temperature for Tuesday, May 21 is 73 degrees. The National Weather Service is forecasting a high of 88 degrees for the day near the airport — which is 15 degrees above average.

If the area hits 88 degrees on Tuesday, Frazier said that would tie for the fourth highest temperature on record for this time of year.

Heading into Wednesday, Szwed said the area will see another “unseasonably warm afternoon.”

The predicted high for Wednesday is 85 degrees, according to Frazier.

“We’ll still see some of that same warmth for tomorrow,” he said.

But the rest of the week will see some possible showers and/or thunderstorms and temperatures in the high 70s or low 80s, Frazier said.

“We’re going to be still remaining above normal for much of the next week,” he said.

Next week could be trending colder, Frazier said, with temperatures back in the 70s.

Szwed said for Memorial Day weekend, WTAE is expecting highs to hover in the lower 80s.

“A ‘cold’ front will sweep across western Pennsylvania on Thursday,” she said. “In the process, it will clear out the storms and drop temperatures back slightly.”

The cause for the unseasonably high temperatures is the weather pattern moving humid air in along with southerly winds, according to Frazier.

“High pressure can breed some warmer temperatures, so that’s what we’re seeing today,” he said. “Heights will lower later in the week.”

Szwed said high pressure is currently anchored over the East Coast, which is a typical summertime pattern that brings warmer temperatures and more humidity into the area.

“This setup will continue into early Wednesday before our storm chances start ticking up,” she said.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)