Temps to rise by midweek

By David Skolnick

The Valley had a record low Monday, but it should hit 80 degrees by Wednesday.

YOUNGSTOWN — It’s mid-May, but with the low temperatures, it’s easy to think it’s late March or early April.

The Mahoning Valley broke a record Monday for the lowest temperature for a May 18.

It was only 30 degrees at 5:24 a.m. Monday, said Walter Fitzgerald, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

The old record-low for May 18 was 33 degrees in 1983.

The National Weather Service has kept temperature records for the Valley dating from 1897.

The area didn’t miss the record low for May 17 on Sunday by much.

At 10:24 p.m., the temperature dropped to 34 degrees.

The record low for May 17 was 31 degrees in 1956.

The average low temperatures for this time of year is 58 to 59 degrees, according to National Weather Service statistics.

The average low temperatures for late March and early April is 30 to 34 degrees.

But higher temperatures are just around the corner.

The high for today is expected to be in the low 70s, but it will drop down to upper 40s by nighttime, according to the NWS forecast.

The area will warm up with a high around 80 degrees Wednesday, and a high in the low 80s Thursday.

“We’ll be above normal,” Fitzgerald said.

The average high for this time of the year in the Valley is 70 to 71 degrees.

There’s a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms this Memorial Day weekend with highs in the low 70s.

skolnick@vindy.com