Summer-like weather hanging around for rest of week

It’s commonly referred to as “Indian summer,” a period of unseasonable warm, dry weather in autumn.

Southwestern Pennsylvania is experiencing such a period this week with temperatures at or near 80 degrees for the next few days. And the warmer than usual weather is likely to continue for most of the rest of the month, according to Lee Hendricks, meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Moon.

“We currently have a fairly strong Bermuda high over the western Atlantic Ocean that’s drawing up warm air and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and bringing it here,” he said.

A Bermuda high is a semi-permanent area of high pressure located over Bermuda in the summer and fall that steers storm systems westward across the Atlantic Ocean.

Even so, the weather we’re currently experiencing is not much warmer than usual for this time of year. The normal high temperature for Southwestern Pennsylvania in early October is in the mid to upper 70s with lows in the upper 50s.

‘What we’re experiencing is ballparkish normal for this time of year, except that the low temperatures are usually lower (about now), in the upper 50s rather than the low 60s,” said Hendricks.

But by the end of the month, the high temperatures will be in the 70-degree range with low temps around 50. As for the rest of this week, rain is moving into the area and by Sunday, Hendricks said it will be a little cooler.

The key question is how will the warmer than usual weather impact the fall foliage?

“Mild weather may slightly delay the peak of the fall foliage, but it’s not going to affect it too much,” Hendricks said. “The leaves are green enough that we should see the colors start to peak by the third week of October.”