PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — We’re kicking off the week with two storms that could potentially become severe across the area — one round late Monday night, another round Tuesday night. Tonight’s first round has the greatest risk for our area as a disturbance moves east from Kentucky and West Virginia bringing a ton of moisture.
This disturbance will track directly over our area between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m., and that track is notable because it means there will be a lot of rotation and wind shear in the atmosphere. This will increase the risk of isolated tornadoes in our region. SPC has placed our area in a 5% tornado risk zone – while this doesn’t sound that high, it is much higher than in a normal heavy setup. Make sure devices are charged and nearby when you go to bed, and have a plan in place if an alert is issued for your area.
In addition to the threat of damaging winds and isolated tornadoes, there is an excessive threat of rain tonight. With this system, air with a very high dew point will rush in and the humidity will skyrocket. This will push water readings to over 2″ in some places – meaning 1-2″ of rain could fall in the most severe storms in a short period of time, increasing the risk of localized flash flooding in the most severe storms. If you can stay off the road late tonight I would highly recommend – looks like the rain will be leaving for work well before morning.
Tuesday starts with tropical humidity – dew points in the mid to above 70s – as we await the arrival of a stronger cold front in the afternoon. While the severe threat looks more limited tomorrow, any storm that builds up in the late afternoon/evening, especially east of Philadelphia, could risk damaging winds and hail. The greatest threat will be to the south and east over the southern coastal points and beaches of Delaware in the evening.
Then much calmer weather and lower humidity on Wednesday and a refreshing air mass towards the end of the week.
This is your 7-day forecast:
Monday: High 89
Tuesday: PM strong storms. High 86, Low 75
Wednesday: Tidy. High 85, Low 68
Thursday: Sunny, beautiful. High 88, Low 68
Friday: Warm and pleasant. High 85, Low 64
Saturday: Mainly sunny. High 85, Low 64
Sunday: Sunny and hot. High 90, Low 67
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