In this file photo, Jacob Torres, 4, laughs with excitement as he plays with a turtle that sprays water at Cedar Beach in May.
In this file photo, Jacob Torres, 4, laughs with excitement as he plays with a turtle that sprays water at Cedar Beach in May. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

The National Weather Service forecast office in Mount Holly sent a tweet Sunday that seemed rather foreboding: ‘The hottest week of the climatological year is upon us,’ the tweet said, adding that heat index values will exceed 100 degrees late this week.

Before the heat turns oppressive, the Lehigh Valley will also have to deal with the the remnants of what was Tropical Storm Barry. Heavy rain is possible Wednesday night into Thursday as the remnant low of Barry passes through the region, with flooding possible in some areas.


In the wake of Barry’s remnants, meteorologists say an area of high pressure will develop southwest of the Mid-Atlantic on Friday and remain more or less in place for the weekend. Consequently, the main story of the late week will be the excessive heat, with Friday and Saturday looking to be the warmest days of the year thus far.

Breaking it down, here’s what the week looks like after temperatures topping off in the 80s today:

Tuesday: A weak warm front is expected to cross the region. Forecasters say we can expect it to feel more muggy than Monday, with highs generally in the low 90s and dewpoints approaching 70 late in the day. Some showers and thunderstorms will be possible in the afternoon and evening hours.

Wednesday: Meteorologists say we can expect the air mass to feel increasingly tropical, with temperatures in the low to mid 90s and dewpoints in the mid 70s as the remnants of Barry approach the area. This will give rise to heat index concerns, especially in the urban corridor and points southeast of the Lehigh Valley, where heat indices in the 100 to 105 range will be possible. Thunderstorm chances will increase for the afternoon, and heavy rainfall is possible with any storms.

Thursday: Heavy rain potential continues as the tropical air mass lingers. At this point, Barry’s remnants should be pulling away from the area. However, excessive heat concerns remain for the I-95 corridor despite increased cloud cover and precipitation.

Friday and Saturday: These will likely be the hottest days of the year thus far, with highs likely reaching the upper 90s along the I-95 corridor and dewpoints remaining in the mid 70s. This will translate to heat index values near 100 degrees near Philadelphia and Delmarva, and only slightly lower here in the Lehigh Valley.

Sunday: Temperatures are expected to cool slightly, but the heat wave will continue with highs in the low 90s.