Severe storms possible in Philadelphia region on Thursday before Fourth of July. Here's the forecast.
Thursday will be hot and sunny with a high near 90, great for soaking in some time at the pool; however, stay weather aware. A secondary front could touch off a pop-up storm or two in the afternoon in the Philadelphia region, and some may be strong to severe.
The area is currently in a level 2 severe risk (slight risk, scattered severe storms possible) due to the potential for strong winds gusting to 60 mph plus. Because of the chance of severe storms, a NEXT Weather Alert will be in effect for Thursday.
A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect in Bucks, Northampton and Lehigh counties in Pennsylvania, and Mercer County in New Jersey, until 10 p.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. That watch also includes parts of northern New Jersey and Northeast Pennsylvania.
A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties until 6:45 p.m.
The NWS also issued a flash flood warning for Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties until 10:15 p.m.
If you happen to be near one of these storms, they will move by quickly, but you'll need to shelter for a brief period of time. That's the bad news, but the good news is that we'll then usher in slightly cooler and drier air into the region just in time for the holiday weekend.
July 4 looks fantastic with seasonable warmth and not much humidity. It will be great conditions for fireworks viewing! High pressure will linger through the weekend over the region, with mostly sunny skies, highs in the 80s, and comfortable dew points in the low to mid 60s. It's shaping up to be a nice holiday weekend, with no weather issues expected to impact your plans on the Fourth of July.
Next week looks to be unsettled again with highs near 90, humidity climbing back up, and pop-up storms blanketing the Delaware Valley — pretty typical summertime conditions.
Here's your 7-day forecast:
Thursday: NEXT Weather Alert for p.m. storms. High 90, Low 70.
Friday: Fabulous Fourth! High 86, Low 68.
Saturday: Mostly sunny. High 87, Low 65.
Sunday: Heating up. High 90, Low 70.
Monday: Isolated thunderstorms. High 91, Low 75.
Tuesday: Scattered storms. High 88, Low 74.
Wednesday: Scattered storms. High 87, Low 72.
