Southwestern Pa. under heat advisory with high temps set to scorch region

Southwestern Pennsylvania is in for a scorching hot Friday, with a heat index forecast of 104 degrees in the afternoon.

The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory in the region from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Temperatures will be hottest — around 95 degrees — between 1 and 5 p.m., said Mike Kennedy, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service’s Moon Township office. Things should cool down later in the day, he said, with the heat index dropping to 90 by 8 p.m. The index measures the impact of temperature combined with humidity.

The temperatures aren’t expected to break any records, Kennedy said, but high humidity will make Friday feel particularly uncomfortable.

Here is the latest on the heat advisory today, and the potential severe weather tonight and Saturday. You can get the latest weather information for your area by visiting https://t.co/nR4yhzEq8F. pic.twitter.com/vdFt2EJ0xY

— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) July 28, 2023

“The record for today is 96, and normal for today is 83,” he said. “We’re still talking 8 to 10 degrees above normal. We just have the extra increased humidity today, that’s what makes it more of an issue.”

There is a slight chance for storms in the late afternoon and a larger likelihood of stormy weather overnight and into Saturday morning. Temperatures should cool down over the weekend, he said.

“It will be noticeably more comfortable by the end of the weekend and into next week,” Kennedy said. “The temperatures are going to be maybe a couple degrees below normal.”

Kennedy advised people to drink plenty of fluids and stay in air conditioning and out of the sun as much as possible.

“If you do have any neighbors or family members that would be a little more susceptible to having problems with this, check on them,” he said. “Today is probably not the best day to work outside. There’ll be a better time to do it in a couple of days.”

The City of Pittsburgh will have cooling centers open throughout the day.

Healthy Active Living Centers in Beechview, Brighton Heights, Greenfield, Homewood, Sheraden and the South Side will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Six CitiParks recreation centers with air conditioning — Ammon, Brookline, Jefferson, Magee, Paulson and Phillips — also will be open through Friday.

REMINDER!@Pittsburgh COOLING CENTERS ACTIVATED for Wednesday, July 26 through Friday, July 28, 2023 with forecasted temps reaching 90 degrees plus.

6 Healthy Active Living Centers will remain OPEN until 7 PM!
All are welcome!

Read Press Release here: https://t.co/mNUFqGbHe0 pic.twitter.com/zijBGn53xZ

— CitiParks: Pittsburgh Parks & Recreation (@CitiParks) July 27, 2023