A very quick warm-up started Tuesday afternoon as southerly winds pushed temperatures into the 50s in most of the area. It even reached the 60s in parts of Delaware! At the same time, it struggled to reach 40 degrees in Allentown.
This is all due to a warm front that has obviously made it northward through the Philadelphia area, but not to the Lehigh Valley. With a cold front approaching from the west, the southwest winds ahead of the cold front will push the warm front even farther north.
That means Allentown gets to join in on the warmth, and the rest of the area will be even warmer Wednesday. I'm predicting highs in the 60s to near 70 degrees with strong southwest winds.
Winds should average 25 mph, with gusts reaching 40 mph. Even stronger gusts are likely if any thunderstorms form.
The price we'll pay for the warmth is rain, and lots of it. Much of Wednesday will be wet, and even more rain will fall Thursday. There could even be some localized flooding Thursday.
