816
FXUS61 KCTP 230718
AFDCTP

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service State College PA
318 AM EDT Mon Jun 23 2025

.SYNOPSIS...
* Significant and dangerous heat wave continues through
  Wednesday with major to extreme heat risk for all of central
  Pennsylvania.
* Clear skies for the next couple of nights with little relief
  from the daytime heat.
* Increasingly unsettled mid-to-late week with daily chances for
  soaking downpours and thunderstorms as heat slowly breaks.

&&

.NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM THIS MORNING/...
Skies have cleared out early this evening, with high confidence
in clear skies overnight across all of central Pennsylvania into
Monday morning. Clear skies will allow for radiational cooling
and undercutting of NBM temperatures overnight, with low
temperatures ranging from the upper 60s across higher elevations
of western Pennsylvania to the mid-70s across the Lower
Susquehanna Valley. Light winds will also be present overnight;
however, fog formation seems very unlikely at this time given
relatively dry air in the lower levels.

&&

.SHORT TERM /6 AM THIS MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
Plenty of sunshine, humid conditions, and well-above normal
temperatures will remain the story of the short-term with dry
conditions and sunny conditions outside of afternoon
stratocumulus clouds. Ample daytime heating with dewpoints
likely reaching into the 60s and 70s during daytime heating will
allow for heat index values to reach above the century mark
with many locations across the Susquehanna Valley reaching close
to/above 105F. No changes to heat headlines for the evening
package, keeping the Extreme Heat Warning as-is now through
Wednesday. In terms of low temperatures, little relief is
expected Monday and Tuesday nights, with low temperatures
generally in the upper 60s (NW PA) to the mid-70s across the
Lower Susquehanna Valley.

It will be important for those with heightened susceptibility
to heat, such as young children, older adults, people with
chronic medical conditions, and pregnant women, to take action
now and make plans to limit time outdoors, wear light clothing,
and have plenty of water on hand this week. Another factor to
consider will be lack of acclimation to the warm temperatures
given recent cooler weather.

Stagnant air, coupled with the aforementioned hot temperatures,
across the Lower Susquehanna Valley and portions of the Laurel
Highlands will lead to development of surface ozone, resulting
in poor air quality. The PA DEP has issued a Code Orange Air
Quality Alert Day (see AQACTP) for the typical LSV zones
(Dauphin, Lebanon, Cumberland, Lancaster, and York counties)
along with Blair and Cambria counties for Monday.

The short-term will also remain fairly dry with little moisture
in the way for work with for shower/thunderstorm development in
the afternoon hours on Monday and Tuesday. Low-level moisture
does begin to increase on Wednesday with relatively higher
chances coming during the afternoon and evening hours across
north/western Pennsylvania with an approaching cold front.

&&

.LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/...
Evening Update: Little change with respect to the evening
update, as the unsettled pattern continues into the first half
of the weekend with slightly lower chances for precipitation
coming on Sunday.

Previous Discussion: Issued 4:13 PM EDT Sunday, June 22, 2025:
Increasing low-level moisture under northwesterly flow begins
later on into Wednesday. NBM PoPs increases into the 30-60 pct
range Thu afternoon as a slow moving cold front approaches
southern New York State and stability begins to erode, with
increased chances coming on Friday with ample lift and low-level
moisture over central Pennsylvania. Predictability further out
into Friday and Saturday remains low with a decent spread in
model guidance, thus have leaned on NBM PoPs in this timeframe,
with highest chances in the afternoon/evening hours. Repeated
bouts of heavy rainfall during the middle and end of the week
may result in flooding concerns, particularly if the steering
flow lines up parallel with thermal boundaries.

&&

.AVIATION /07Z MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/...
Some valley fog is evident on satellite early this morning and
could bring restrictions to BFD through daybreak, but the
likelihood remains low enough to exclude it from the TAF.

Otherwise, widespread VFR conditions will prevail through
Tuesday. There could be an isolated shower or thunderstorm
Tuesday afternoon, but any restrictions would be brief.

Hot and humid conditions will continue through midweek with high
density altitude expected.

Outlook...

Tue...VFR. Hot. Isolated PM storms.

Wed...Mainly VFR with increasing chances of SHRA/TSRA,
especially north.

Thu-Fri...Increasing impacts from SHRA/TSRA. Less hot.

&&

.CLIMATE...
With a heat wave starting on Sunday and lasting into the middle
of next week, some locations may reach or exceed the daily
record hi/max and hi/min temperatures. Record temperatures are
most likely on Monday morning through Wednesday morning (to
include high and low temperatures records).

&&

.CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Heat Advisory until 8 PM EDT Wednesday for PAZ004>006-010>012-
017>019-024>026-033>035-037-041-042-045.
Air Quality Alert from 10 AM this morning to 8 PM EDT this
evening for PAZ024-025-057-059-063-065-066.
Heat Advisory until 10 AM EDT this morning for PAZ027-028-046-
049>053-058.
Heat Advisory from 8 PM this evening to 8 PM EDT Wednesday for
PAZ027-028-046-049>053-058.
Extreme Heat Warning from 10 AM this morning to 8 PM EDT this
evening for PAZ027-028-046-049>053-058.
Extreme Heat Warning until 8 PM EDT Wednesday for PAZ036-056-
057-059-063>066.

&&

$$

SYNOPSIS...NPB
NEAR TERM...NPB
SHORT TERM...NPB
LONG TERM...Colbert/NPB
AVIATION...Banghoff
CLIMATE...Banghoff