By Paul Knight
The gentle summer of 2014 continues but we can still enjoy the waning days of summer.
Despite the prevalence of clouds in parts of the state, showers are becoming less frequent in some sections so that a slowly increasing rainfall deficit is becoming noticeable in northern counties of the Commonwealth.
There are still no signs of any prolonged warmth in the next ten days to two weeks. As offshore tropical storm Bertha accelerates into the open North Atlantic early on Wednesday, its circulation will draw another batch of seasonably cool, dry air back toward the Northeast. A sagging cold front will be accompanied by showers during Wednesday, particularly in the western and southern counties. The boundary, with warm sticky air, will move south of the region for Thursday and Friday providing pleasant late summer weather (comfortable nights and mild days). There are indications that the clouds and showers associated with that boundary will return to the southern and probably western sections of Pennsylvania during the weekend, keeping temperatures below seasonal levels. There is about a 25% chance of a dull, drippy spell from Sunday through Monday state-wide and there is also about a 25% chance that the weekend and early next week will stay dry.
Another cold front will approach the area at mid-week (Aug 12-13) with showers likely and this will be followed by rather cool conditions for the following weekend. There are some signs that a spell of very warm, humid weather is likely just before or during the Labor Day period.
Source:psu.edu