An unseasonably warm stretch continued across central Pennsylvania this week, with temperatures soaring well above normal and tying a decades-old daily record in the Harrisburg area.
According to the National Weather Service, Harrisburg International Airport reached 87 degrees on Wednesday, matching the record high for April 15 that was originally set in 1941.
Some communities were even hotter.
Gettysburg and Chambersburg led the region with highs of 90 degrees on Wednesday, an uncommon reading for mid-April and more typical of early summer than spring. Other reported temperatures included 88 in Carlisle and Lebanon, 87 in Harrisburg and Selinsgrove, 86 in Lewistown and York, and 85 in Lancaster and Coatesville.
For Gettysburg and much of Adams County, the 90-degree mark was especially notable given average highs for this time of year are generally in the mid-60s. That means temperatures climbed roughly 20 to 25 degrees above seasonal norms. And it looks like we’re in line for at least one more hot one, with today’s temperatures expected to approach 90 degrees again.
A front is expected to move through the region later this week, bringing cooler air and a return to more typical April weather.
Meteorologists said official climate records for the Susquehanna Valley are measured at Harrisburg International Airport, making the 87-degree reading the benchmark for daily records.
While brief warm spells are not unheard of in April, reaching the upper 80s and low 90s remains relatively rare in south-central Pennsylvania this early in the season.
The burst of heat follows a pattern that has brought frequent temperature swings to the Northeast this spring, with chilly mornings and occasional frost earlier in the month giving way to sudden summerlike afternoons.
Source: WGAL, The Weather Channel