BETHLEHEM, Pa. — About a million people are expected to attend Musikfest, which runs August 3-13.
And during much — if not all — of the festival, Bethlehem is likely to see a fairly nice stretch of weather, with an occasional need for an umbrella, meteorologist Bobby Martrich said Tuesday.
Martrich is the owner of EPAWA Weather Consulting, and is the official forecaster for Musikfest, where dry weather and sunshine dominated last summer.
- A fairly nice stretch of weather is expected during Musikfest, with an occasional need for an umbrella
- A completely dry stretch of weather is almost unheard of this time of year, said meteorologist Bobby Martrich of EPAWA Weather Consulting
- Festival-goers are encouraged to download the Musikfest app and check social media for weather updates
And while we may not have a perfect stretch of weather this year, Martrich said it should be crowd-pleasing — for the most part.
“Last year if you recall, the very first Friday of Musikfest in the middle of the afternoon we had a quick storm roll through, so that’s the only time they had to shut it down," he said.
"The rest of the ‘fest was completely dry. That’s almost unheard of this time of year.”
Musikfest arrives to celebrate its 40th year on Aug. 3. You’ll find all the color, local flavor, reviews and more right here on LehighValleyNews.com.
The 2023 forecast
Martrich expects a stretch of mostly comfortable weather, with temperatures in the low to mid 80s for the duration of the festival.
The period could begin unsettled as AJR takes the stage Thursday night, but there doesn’t appear to be a chance for widespread severe weather.
“Thursday [preview night] is going to see an isolated chance of storms,” Martrich said. “It could end up missing completely, and Friday it looks a little bit more scattered.”
He said the pattern over the next two weeks is going to be “fast-moving frontal systems” during which the Lehigh Valley could see a line of storms or “something to that effect” moving through.
"Lightning within eight miles you have to shut it down, so that’s what we’re going to be watching for. It could be something quick in and out that’s temporary, and then it resumes."Meteorologist Bobby Martrich on lightning safety during Musikfest
There will be another chance Monday for a quick shower or storm late in the day.
But right now, Matrich said he isn’t worried about having to make a call on shutting the festival down.
“Lightning within eight miles you have to shut it down, so that’s what we’re going to be watching for," he said. "It could be something quick in and out that’s temporary, and then it resumes.
“The good news is that we don’t have anything like a tropical system coming in and dumping copious amounts of rain. There’s relatively low humidity expected most days and the atmosphere is not as water-loaded as it could be.”
‘Safety is our number one priority’
There’s a reason forecasters don’t look too far ahead, and Martrich said the time of year has a lot to do with it.
“It’s hard to get that long of a stretch in August where it’s completely dry or mostly dry,” he said.
To that end, Monday could see a return to warm and humid conditions as the beginning of next week (Aug. 7) starts off unsettled.
“Bobby is a phenomenal advisor to the process. ArtsQuest is an advisor to the process. We make it in tandem with city and county officials — emergency response officials. The Northampton County Emergency Team is an integral part of that. The forecast changes minute-by-minute in this Valley that we’re in, and safety is our number one priority, obviously."ArtsQuest Chief Programming Officer Patrick Brogan
Beyond that, festival-goers are encouraged to download the Musikfest app or check social media for updates if storms should pop up.
“Every situation is unique to itself, but it’s a collaborative effort,” ArtsQuest Chief Programming Officer Patrick Brogan said.
“Bobby is a phenomenal advisor to the process," Brogan said. "ArtsQuest is an advisor to the process. We make it in tandem with city and county officials — emergency response officials. The Northampton County Emergency Team is an integral part of that.
“The forecast changes minute-by-minute in this Valley that we’re in, and safety is our number one priority, obviously.
"When you manage something this size and scale it’s a bit of holding your breath at times. We’ll be excited when the fireworks come on Aug. 13 and we’re wrapping things up and it’s dry.”
