Fire danger has ramped up across the region, and although no red flag warning is issued, the area is still in extreme fire danger as we have now gone 26 days with no measurable rainfall . All residents of the Delaware Valley are urged to avoid using flames outdoors and use caution when smoking.
A cold front came through yesterday, bringing much cooler and drier air along with winds gusting to 30 mph. Another cold front will cross the area Saturday, but that front also looks devoid of rain, and it will deliver even colder air with highs on Sunday in the mid- to upper-50s. Temperatures will then rebound to the mid-70s by early next week and could approach 80 again by Halloween! The record high temp on Halloween is 82 degrees, set in 1946.
Our drought conditions are worsening. We are now more than 6 inches below average for rain in the fall season. No rain has fallen this month and only 0.77 inch has fallen since Sept. 1. A new drought map was released from the Drought Monitor on Thursday, and the area of severe drought has spread with the potential for areas of extreme drought.