Overview
- The region is in a heat wave with daytime highs expected in the mid-90s on Friday and Saturday and a slight easing by Sunday.
- Pennsylvania issued a Code Orange air-quality alert covering Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks, Chester and Delaware counties that advises sensitive groups to limit heavy outdoor activity.
- The School District of Philadelphia moved 52 schools that lack air conditioning to virtual instruction for Friday and canceled after-school programs at those sites.
- The U.S. Drought Monitor placed parts of the area in a severe drought on Thursday and county officials have urged residents to conserve water because short-term rain chances this weekend are unlikely to erase a more-than-foot precipitation deficit since August.
- Meteorologists note spring was one of the region’s warmest on record and say the brief early-week cooldown will not alter a seasonal pattern favoring above-normal temperatures for the month ahead.