First major heat wave of summer hits, will last all week
Summer officially arrived last week, but Butler County residents will really be feeling it this week as the first major heat wave of the year descends upon the region.
According to forecasts from the National Weather Service, temperatures for Butler will reach as high as 93 degrees on Tuesday, before hitting the upper 90s midweek with temperatures staying in the 90s on Friday.
Matt Brudy, meteorologist from the National Weather Service’s Pittsburgh bureau, said it will feel even hotter.
“The hottest days will be Wednesday and Thursday ... likely mid-to-upper 90s,” Brudy said. “When you combine that with dew points in the upper 60s to low 70s, that will give us heat index values exceeding 100 degrees.”
In addition, little to no relief is to be expected at night from the sweltering heat during the week, according to Brudy.
“Compounding that with overnight lows each night only dropping to the mid 70s, there will be very little opportunity for relief overnight,” Brudy said. “It will be a prolonged period of extreme heat.”
Wednesday and Thursday’s predicted temperatures could conceivably set new records. The current record-high temperature for July 1 was a 92-degree day in 1966, while the record for July 2 was a 98-degree day, also in 1966. Both measurements were from a station at Slippery Rock.
Temperatures are expected to cool off only slightly by the holiday on Saturday when forecasts call for high temperatures of 90 degrees, as well as a 50% chance of precipitation and a chance of thunderstorms.
A heat advisory from the National Weather Service will take effect starting Tuesday at 11 a.m. and will last until 10 p.m. Friday, July 3. The advisory will be in effect for Butler County, along with numerous other counties in Western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio and northern West Virginia. The timing and expiration of the advisory is subject to change.
During the heat advisory, residents are advised to drink plenty of fluids, stay in air-conditioned areas (if possible), wear light clothing and be careful of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
