Philadelphia weather: Rising temperatures to hit region this week
Could the mid-week high temperatures be an early sign of spring? Too early to say, according to the National Weather Service.
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Philadelphia is in store for some seriously nice weather this week — but enjoy it while it lasts.
A warm-up late Tuesday or early Wednesday will bring temperatures into the 50s and even the 60s this week, before a cold front makes its way back into the area as a stark reminder that spring is still a month away, said Sarah Johnson, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Mount Holly.
Wednesday will be partly sunny with a high in the low 50s, before the mercury dips into the 40s with a chance of showers overnight. Thursday will be the warmest day this week, with a high in the mid-60s and low in the 50s, though rain remains a possibility. The rain will be off and on, Johnson said.
"We're not looking at a washout all day, but we do have chances especially Thursday morning and Thursday evening," she said.
Temperatures will be well above normal, but the numbers aren't jaw-dropping, Johnson said. The average high for Feb. 15 in Philadelphia is 44 degrees, but the temperature reached a whopping 74 degrees on that day in 1949.
"We're not even near a record, certainly not unprecedented," she said.
The warmer temperatures should continue Friday, when the high should again reach around 60 degrees. But then it's back to reality for the Philly region.
Friday night will feel more like February, with a low in the high 20s, while Saturday will only warm up to 40 degrees.
Johnson said the midweek warm-up isn't necessarily a sign that spring is around the corner.
"It's too early to tell at this point," she said. "It's just kind of a short-term pattern change."