


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS State College, PA
Issued by NWS State College, PA
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863 FXUS61 KCTP 041552 AFDCTP Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service State College PA 1152 AM EDT Fri Jul 4 2025 .SYNOPSIS... * Incredible weather for Independence Day with plenty of sun, seasonable temperatures and comfortable humidity * Warming trend into the first weekend of July with hot/humid conditions expected to peak Sunday and Monday * Isolated t-storms possible downwind of Lake Erie and over the Allegheny/Laurel ridgetops Saturday afternoon and evening; daily chances for showers and t-storms next week && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... Spectacular weather for this Independence Day across Central PA with below normal Precip Water of just 0.4 to 0.7 of an inch helping to provide nearly cloud free skies and excellent vsby for a Summer day. Mid-Late afternoon high temps between 75-85F are within +/- 3 degrees of 4th of July climo. Continued to lean on the low- end of the guidance for dewpoints which drops minRH AOB 40% in most areas. Good viewing conditions for fireworks tonight with mainly clear to partly cloudy skies and overnight low temps in the 50-60F range. That said, very light wind and low level nocturnal stability should impact/limit smoke dispersion. Some fog is also possible again late tonight/early Saturday throughout the deeper valleys in Northern PA similar to this morning. && .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... Warming trend expected over the first weekend of July along with an uptick in humidity/dewpoints as we progress through the day Saturday. Max temps on Saturday are +3-8F warmer vs. Friday, but dewpoints/humidity levels remain generally tolerable/seasonable in the 60-65F range. That changes by Sunday by adding another 2-4 degrees to max temps (mid 80s to low 90s) with Td climbing above 65F in the central and eastern valleys. In other words, hot and humid by the end of the holiday weekend with min temps also making a series of higher- lows. In terms of precip, there is an emerging signal in the HREF for isolated to scattered diurnal showers/t-storms downwind of Lake Erie and over the ridgetops along the Allegheny Plateau and Laurels. We coordinated with BUF & CLE to add low POPs across the NW mtns Saturday afternoon and evening which also lines up well with SPC general/non-severe thunderstorm outlook area. Sunday still looks rain-free for now as CPA will be in the squeeze play subsidence zone between approaching cold front to the west and potential tropical/subtropical depression near the Carolina coast. Warmer temps aloft @700mb should also suppress any terrain induced convection. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... PoPs increase into Monday and Tuesday as a trough arrives and taps into some tropical moisture off the East Coast. Very warm weather will continue on Monday with highs in the mid to upper 80s. Temps will fall a few degrees into Tue. PoPs drop into the 20-40 pct range on Wed as heights briefly rise over the area, before the PoPs rise again Thursday with the approach of another shortwave trough. && .AVIATION /16Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... A beautiful day is on deck for this 4th of July. Skies are expected to remain clear and winds will be light and variable. Dry conditions and VFR will prevail throughout the day and into tonight. There will again be the possibility for some early morning valley fog across the airspace, but impacts to airfields is expected to remain limited. Overall confidence in fog development remains low. Outlook... Sat-Sun...AM fog possible; otherwise VFR. Mon-Tue...Potential for showers and thunderstorms. && .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...Lambert/Steinbugl NEAR TERM...Lambert/Steinbugl SHORT TERM...Lambert/Steinbugl LONG TERM...Colbert AVIATION...Lambert/Bowen