Bethlehem Live Weather Camera

Another day of sweltering temperatures will transition to a night of severe weather across the region, and concern has shifted to timing on when storms are expected to fire.

Near unrelenting heat has become a reality in the Lehigh Valley to kick off summer, putting the area at risk for rapid onset drought — a term that’s part of a new outlook issued by the Climate Prediction Center.

Another surge of heat and humidity is on the way for the Lehigh Valley, with the possibility that severe storms could rattle the region on Wednesday afternoon and evening.

Looking for relief from the heat in Easton? The city is opening up City Hall and turning on the fire hydrants over the next few days to alleviate the sky-high temperatures.

No matter what we call it, hazardous heat is expected across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, according to the Weather Prediction Center.

Temperatures could reach the low 90s on Monday, with widespread highs in the 90s Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

Heat and humidity will build for the afternoon, heightening a severe weather risk for the Lehigh Valley on Friday, forecasters say. It comes before a heat wave arrives in the region next week.

Heat index outlooks — projecting what it feels like outside with the heat and humidity combined — push feels-like temperatures near triple digits between June 17-21 and top 100 degrees in the Lehigh Valley between June 19-25.

The weather pattern this week will be a tale of two halves, with sunny skies and comfortable temperatures before things heat up in a big way. The region's first heat wave could also be looming, forecasters warn.

The Storm Prediction Center has maintained a marginal risk (1 out of 5) for the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas Thursday, with the primary threat being damaging winds.

“The pleasant stretch of weather we encountered early in the week is beyond us,” the National Weather Service said in its latest forecast discussion, with the Lehigh Valley at risk of excessive rainfall Wednesday.

When all was said and done, May was the Lehigh Valley’s sixth consecutive warmer-than-normal month, with an average temperature of 63.4 degrees – or 1.4 degrees above normal. So what will summer bring?