July 21, 2019

Philadelphia heat wave is almost over — what to expect this week

The weather will still be warm in the coming days, but that oppressive heat will take a hike

By Virginia Streva
PhillyVoice Staff

Carroll - Heat, High temperatures, Hot, Summer

Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice

A family cools off in the fountain at Dilworth Park during Philadelphia's heat wave in July.

Well, Philly has been burning up these past few days with a heat index averaging around 110 degrees ... and boy, has it been hot.

Fortunately there is some good news — the heatwave is almost over. That's right. We're almost to the finish line! But the bad news is we still have to get through Sunday before we can get any relief.

Sunday, like Saturday, will be mostly sunny, hot, and humid. The high will be 99 with a heat index averaging around 111 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. There is a 40 percent chance for thunderstorms tonight.

The rest of the week will be cooler but still relatively warm. Monday will maintain the high humidity from Sunday (always fun), but the high will drop to 89 degrees. There is a 80 percent chance of precipitation with thunderstorms expected after 7 a.m. The rainfall is expected to produce between one to two inches.

The rain from Monday follows into Tuesday. Thunderstorms are expected before 2 p.m. The region could see a quarter to a half inch of an inch of rainfall. The high will be 82 degrees. The humidity is expected to break after the rain passes in the afternoon.

Wednesday through Friday the city will mostly see sunny days with an average high around the mid to late 80s. ... Phew.

The heat wave, which began on Wednesday at noon, won't end until Sunday at 11 p.m. The City of Philadelphia declared a heat health emergency on Wednesday. During this time, Philly residents can call the city's Heatline for health and safety tips, and the line will also connect residents with local medical professionals to answer questions of heat-related illnesses or conditions.

This summer's heat wave has posed serious threats to the community, including a senior community center Wilmington. The retirement home had to evacuate over 250 people on Friday afternoon due to a partial power outage.

This heat has been hard for Philadelphians, to say the least ... and a lot of people are over it.

... Like this jokester.

Should I wear a sweatshirt today? #heatwave #philly pic.twitter.com/jzDMSa0y6O
— trustdougsprocess (@doug_silverman) July 20, 2019

... Or this local hockey group that kinda wishes it was hockey season.

It feels like 110° in Philly right now. Need to get back on the ice ASAP! #HeatWave pic.twitter.com/FwHw35Rd9x
— Snider Hockey (@SniderHockey) July 20, 2019

... Or this person who just wants to protect one of our nation's greatest assets, André 3000, who's been busking as of late near City Hall.

someone please bring Andre 3000 a bottle of water he’s currently serenading people on the streets of Philly with a flute it’s too hot
— rosy (@rodeo__rose) July 19, 2019

And I think we can all agree that if it's too hot before the sun is barely out, we're in trouble.