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Hottest day in 15 years as Philly hits 103

At 3:07 p.m., the temperature hit 103 at Philadelphia International, making today the hottest day in 15 years, according to the National Weather Service.

The temperature in Philadelphia hit 102 for the second straight day.  Shown is the early morning sun rising against the Inquirer and Daily News building on Broad Street. (Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer)
The temperature in Philadelphia hit 102 for the second straight day. Shown is the early morning sun rising against the Inquirer and Daily News building on Broad Street. (Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer)Read more

At 3:07 p.m., the temperature hit 103 at Philadelphia International, making today the hottest day in 15 years, according to the National Weather Service.

The next hottest day was Tuesday, when the high was 103.

The last time back-to-back days hit triple digits was Aug. 8 and 9, 2001.

Today's high  left the previous record of 98, last reached in 1994, choking in the dust.

The last 103 recorded in Philadelphia was on July 15, 1995.

Almost all afternoon -- from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. -- the temperature was 100 or more.

Other places that hit triple digits today: Doylestown, Pottstown, Mount Holly, Trenton and Wilmington. Atlantic City hit 98.

Today's low, though, could be even be even more historic - potentially setting an all-time mark for any day of the year.

Overnight, the lowest temperature was 83 degrees, and the previous highest such mark is 82, last reached on Aug. 8, 2001, the first of the last tandem torchers (or tortures).

It could dip below 82 by midnight, but it should be close, with 83 predicted for 11 p.m., 81 for midnight by the hour-by-hour forecast at weather.com.

Last night, the temperature was 85 at midnight.

So the old mark of 79 for July 7 probably will be toast.

The forecast calls for the overnight low - usually reached hours after midnight - to bottom out at 79 on Thursday.

Temperatures will moderate through the weekend - but less than previous predictions suggested - and afternoon or evening thunderstorms could develop over the next three days.

Thursday will be hot, reaching the mid 90s, and a little more humid, but the excessive heat warning in effect through 8 tonight hasn't been extended into tomorrow, said meteorologist Patrick O'Hara of the National Weather Services' Mount Holly office.

Then highs should hover around the 90 mark through next Tuesday, possibly extending the heat wave - now at four days with highs of at least 90 - to 10 days or more.

"Saturday might be the day to break it, if we get those showers," O'Hara said.

For more on the forecast, go to http://go.philly.com/weather.