Overview
- High pressure produced a dry, pleasant Monday with improved air quality but forecasts and the Storm Prediction Center now highlight Tuesday as an impact day for severe thunderstorms.
- The primary hazards forecast for Tuesday are damaging straight‑line wind gusts and heavy rain that could cause localized flash flooding, with timing focused on the afternoon and evening hours.
- Wildfire smoke that eased over the weekend is expected to return Tuesday–Wednesday as southerly moist flow pushes smoke from Canadian and Pacific Northwest fires back over the region.
- State and local agencies have issued watches and alerts, including Flood Watches for parts of the Susquehanna Valley and a PA DEP Code Orange air‑quality alert for much of western Pennsylvania, and officials urge those with respiratory issues to limit outdoor exertion.
- Models show the system clearing by midweek with cooler, drier conditions returning before a separate heat surge builds later in the week in parts of the Midwest and Plains, so residents should monitor evolving forecasts and local warnings.