Western Pennsylvania to see first stretch of prolonged heat

If you’ve been lamenting the lack of hot weather in Western Pennsylvania, you’re in luck.

The next week features the warmest stretch of weather so far this year, with high temperatures well into the 80s each day, according to the National Weather Service.

There have been only 15 days so far this year when the high temperature reached 80 or above.

That’s a far cry from what the region experienced to this point last year. By June 27 of last year, the region had recorded 31 days of temperatures of at least 80 degrees. There were two eight-day stretches of consecutive 80-plus degree days, from May 24 to May 31 and from June 13 to June 20.

The normal number is 30 days by this point of the year, meteorologists said. Temperatures are running 1.3 degrees below normal for the month of June.

Despite the cool trend, National Weather Service meteorologist Tom Green said we could still see record heat in July and August.

“Just because we’ve been below normal on our temperatures this month doesn’t mean that we couldn’t turn around and be above normal for the rest of the summer,” Green said.

Green said he isn’t seeing any sort of identifiable temperature trend for the next 60 to 90 days.