Forecasters see ‘taste of fall’ weather coming next week

The Pittsburgh area is experiencing a hotter-than- normal summer.

By JACK TROY
TribLive

Ready for some heat relief? A “taste of fall” could be on the way, according to the National Weather Service in Moon.

A map issued by the agency Tuesday shows Western Pennsylvania is likely to see temperatures cooler than usual, at least into Monday and possibly through next Friday. The National Weather Service attributes falling temperatures to a cold front and low pressure area over the Great Lakes.

After another hot, stuffy weekend, the National Weather Service forecasts temperatures no higher than the 70s on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Tuesday could be the coolest, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Frazier, with the high temperature sliding into the 60s if there’s enough cloud cover.

Dew points could dip from the high 60s to the high 40s in certain areas. A lower dew point means less mugginess.

“It will feel like a cool, crisp, dry-ish fall-like day, in part because of that,” Frazier said.

The Pittsburgh area is experiencing a hotter-than-normal summer. July and August have both seen average temperatures about three degrees above historical trends.

July brought eight 90-degree days. August has had four so far.

Another day that breaks 90 degrees is unlikely this year, according to Frazier. National Weather Service data shows late August is typically when temperatures start to tick down for the year.

But “it’s not out of the question,” he said.