For the first time since the peach- and apple-killing renegade freezes of April, temperatures could drop below 32 degrees or below in the region Saturday and Sunday mornings in what otherwise is going to be a spectacular October weekend for the region’s leaf-peepers.
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The National Weather Service has posted a “freeze warning” for northern and western Bucks, Chester, and Montgomery Counties until 9 a.m. Saturday, and a frost advisory for the rest of the region.
And temperatures are likely to be similar early Sunday.
Technically, the official “growing season” — the period between the spring and fall freezes — hasn’t yet ended in Philly or the seven neighboring counties.
Whether it gets cold enough for the diminishing waters on the ground to turn to ice will depend on the winds, or lack thereof, said Nick Guzzo, meteorologist in the weather service’s Mount Holly office.
The skies under the all-but-full moon are going to be clear, and if the winds are light, conditions would be ripe for daytime heating to radiate efficiently into space.
Temperatures are forecast to stay above 32 at the freeze-resistant Philadelphia International Airport and along the I-95 corridor.
However those readings would be a solid 10 degrees below the normals for the dates. Daytime highs in the 60s would be about average.
The skies during the day should continue to remain wall-to-wall blue, and by all accounts it will be a spectacular weekend for foliage connoisseurs.
The foliage is approaching peak in the region, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ weekly update, which is based on reports from state foresters, with the local maximum color likely right around Halloween.
Meanwhile, the next several days are likely to be a feet-up situation for local meteorologists as strong and persistent high pressure — cloud-repellent heavier air — is likely to keep it dry through the rest of the month.
AccuWeather Inc.’s extended outlook has no mention of rain until Election Day, Nov. 3.
And in case you missed it in all the LeBron James hubbub, uneventful Josephine, the 10th named storm of the ultra-quiet Atlantic hurricane season, officially bit the dust at 5 p.m. Thursday, having lost its tropical identity, the National Hurricane Center announced.
The seasonal hurricane count remains at one, with nothing else brewing as would-be hurricanes storms have been no match for the storm-shearing winds generated by the ultra-warm waters in the equatorial Pacific.
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Thank you, El Niño.