Global warming may be unproven, but Ghetto warming is fact.
-----
Record-rivaling heat prompts fire fears
By Anthony R. Wood
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
After one of the warmest Marches on record, April is coming on like June.
Temperatures today are expected to flirt with 90, making this apparently the warmest start to an April in Philadelphia history.
Concerned about "critical fire weather conditions," the National Weather Service has issued a "red flag warning" for eastern Pennsylvania and all of New Jersey, except for a few northeastern counties.
Delaware and Maryland are under a less serious "fire weather watch."
Tuesday's official high, 87 at Philadelphia International Airport, tied a record set in 1929 and matched in 1942. It was also the hottest day since Aug. 26.
Today's record of 90 also was set in 1929.
Assuming the forecast works out, the average temperature for the first seven days of the month will come in around 65 degrees. The current standard for the first week in April is 61.3, set in the aforementioned 1929.
The normal high for April 7 is 59, according to the National Weather Service.
All the warmth is the result of bone-dry high pressure to the south that is promoting warm winds from the southwest, said Lee Robertson, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly.
The winds are especially dry and warm because they are descending mountain slopes, as opposed to coming off the cool Atlantic Ocean, he added.
Despite all those record rains - not to mention the 6-1/2 feet of snow that fell during the winter - it has been so dry that the weather service has issued fire warnings and watches for this afternoon.
Temperatures will make a run at the mid-80s Thursday, but then the summer party will be over for a while as a front comes through.
"Strong to possibly severe thunderstorms might occur late in the day Thursday or Thursday night," according to the weather service.
Friday will be about 30 degrees cooler than today.
Staff writer Peter Mucha contributed to this article.
Contact staff writer Anthony R. Wood at 610-313-8210 or twood@phillynews.com.
Find this article at:
philly.com
Click Here to Print
SAVE THIS | EMAIL THIS | Close
Check the box to include the list of links referenced in the article. |
