BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Hot and humid, with occasional storms to dodge, is the typical weather pattern of summer for the Mid-Atlantic region.
But the Lehigh Valley has seen a near unrelenting stretch of days with humidity in the air and rain in the forecast.
- The Lehigh Valley is in for another wet weekend, forecasts predict
- The area is at a marginal risk for excessive rainfall Friday, Saturday and Sunday
- The pattern has "abruptly ended" the drought
The latest outlook from the National Weather Service said that's going to continue, with unsettled weather on tap and several rounds of potential showers and thunderstorms — some of which may be strong to severe.
The pattern not only will persist through the weekend, it appears locked in for all of next week.
Drought ‘abruptly ended’
The Lehigh Valley has measured 7.47 inches of rain since June 1. Almost half of it has come this month.
The rainfall has been enough to officially remove Lehigh and Northampton counties from drought status.
Only a small section of Lynn Township, in the northwestern corner of Lehigh County, remains classified as “abnormally dry” by the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Heavy to excessive rainfall significantly improved or removed drought from all other areas, according to an update on Thursday.
“The recent dryness in much of the Northeast Region was abruptly ended,” the update said. “Rainfall totals of 3.5 to locally 8.0 inches of rain pelted much of eastern Pennsylvania and the west half of New England, with numerous reports of flash flooding.”
That included the Lehigh Valley, where storms put down a general 3 to 5 inches of rain on Sunday.
Another wet weekend, with potential for flash flooding
The chance for showers and thunderstorms returns Friday, though coverage and intensity in any one area is very uncertain, the weather service said in its forecast discussion.
Lead meteorologist Alex Dodd noted that model guidance was “highly variable,” but said activity may focus initially from Interstate 95 northwestward.
We likely will see that activity develop around midday and continue through the early evening before diminishing through sunset.
“We will have to be ready for heavy rainfall rates,” Dodd wrote, while noting that storm motion should be fast enough to limit the threat of significant flash flooding.
The Lehigh Valley is at a marginal risk for severe weather, according to the Storm Prediction Center. It’s also at a marginal risk for excessive rainfall from the Weather Prediction Center.
12:59am CDT #SPC Day1 Outlook Slight Risk: for much of the central Plains https://t.co/TgJgC6cQZw pic.twitter.com/S1D9WspS1p
— NWS Storm Prediction Center (@NWSSPC) July 14, 2023
The tropical-like air mass will bring continued rounds of showers and storms through the weekend, with Sunday looking like “the more interesting and active day of the weekend.”
The weather service said “both severe and hydro hazards remain on the table, but thinking the main focus will be the potential for flash flooding.”
“It will not take much for flooding to occur with the wet antecedent conditions,” the forecast discussion said.
“Temperatures will be in the mid to upper 80s for most spots and dew points in the mid 70s with it feeling downright tropical prior to the onset of showers and thunderstorms.”
