Pittsburgh looking at periods of rain on Wednesday then a dry and mild rest of the week

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Tuesday brought record-breaking warmth to Pittsburgh with a high of 81 degrees. This broke the old record of 80 set in 1948 and is also the second warmest temperature ever recorded for the month of November. After a very dry few weeks across the Ohio Valley region, today brings in the best chance of rain since about mid-October across Western PA and Northern West Virginia. 

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A band of steady light to moderate rain will spread into our area by 7-8 a.m. this morning and persist for a few hours before dissipating gradually around noon. 

This will leave us with mostly cloudy skies and mild conditions with temperatures reaching the upper 60s to near 70 for most areas today. As the cold front associated with this system moves southeast, additional isolated to scattered showers will develop. There may even be a thunderstorm as models show very minimal amounts of potential energy in place. 

By tonight and Thursday morning, the best chance of showers will shift toward the Laurel Highlands and our Northern West Virginia counties with temperatures dropping into the mid to upper 50s by daybreak Thursday. Total rainfall amounts will range from 0.1″ to locally over 0.25″ in our northwestern zones. 

Skies will gradually clear Thursday afternoon and evening. The low temperature for Thursday will occur closer to midnight as cooler air settles into the region late.

For Friday and Saturday expect mostly sunny conditions and mild temperatures. The potency of the cooler air behind this front will be lacking substantially, so we expect temperatures to still be above normal despite the passage of a cold front moving through. Our next system looks to arrive by Sunday with increasing clouds, moisture, and winds along with plenty of showers, especially by Sunday afternoon and evening.

A few thunderstorms are possible too given that there will be some potential energy along with strong winds aloft to help organize storms. Following the passage of this system, temperatures STILL look to stay mild next week with no sign of any substantial cold air mass in the foreseeable future.

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