High temperature forecast prompts Pittsburgh to prepare cooling centers

With the Pittsburgh area expected to see the hottest day of the week right out of the gate on Monday, the City of Pittsburgh announced Sunday that it will open cooling centers for the day.

While the temperature is expected to get close to 90 at Pittsburgh International Airport, the high Downtown will be at least 93, said Colton Milcarek, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pittsbugh.

The weather will feel like the mid-to-upper 90s, he said.

“Those two factors together will lead to some heat concerns” on Monday, Milcarek said.

In response, six of the city’s Healthy Active Living Centers will be used as cooling centers from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The centers available are: Beechview, 1555 Broadway Ave.; Brighton Heights, 3515 McClure Ave.; Greenfield, 745 Greenfield Ave.; Homewood, 7321 Frankstown Road; Sheraden, 720 Sherwood Ave.; and South Side, 12th and Bingham streets.

The city typically activates cooling centers when the forecast highs are predicted to be above 90 degrees.

While expected to be hot Monday, it won’t touch the record for the day of 101 that was set in 1988. However, there is a chance of breaking the record for the highest low temperature, which stands at 74 degrees from 1921, Milcarek said.

The rest of the week is a bit of a rollercoaster, with a slight cooldown Tuesday followed by a little warmup on Wednesday and another cooldown on Thursday, Milcarek said.

Along with the heat on Monday, there is a chance of rain and storms developing in the afternoon, but on Sunday the risks of severe weather and flooding were low, Milcarek said.

The forecast shows a low chance of flooding south of Pittsburgh on Tuesday, with a 30% chance of rain pushing in from the south on Wednesday. There is a greater chance of rain, 50% to 60%, in Pittsburgh on Thursday.