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Summer sizzles in
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People enjoy themselves at Lake Milton State Park to beat the heat as temperatures rose to the 90s Tuesday. Summer officially starts at 7:09 p.m. today.
YOUNGSTOWN
Though the temperature makes it feel as if we’re in the middle of summer, the season doesn’t officially start until 7:09 p.m. today.
Since June 7, the Mahoning Valley’s high temperature has been above normal every day but one: June 13.
The temperature is expected to reach the lower 90s today and the upper 80s on Thursday, said Mark Adams, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Cleveland. The average high temperature for this area on June 20 and 21 is 79 degrees.
“Then a cold front will come, and we’ll either be normal or below normal for a good period of time,” he said.
Today, however, “is a 92-degree day. It’ll be very humid,” said Mark Koontz, 21 WFMJ-TV meteorologist. “It’ll be in the upper 80s Thursday with thunderstorms, and Friday during the day it’ll be 80 to 82 degrees. It will be a sunny and dry weekend in the low 80s, and the beginning of the week will be mid- to upper 70s.”
From then through June 29, Adams said there’s no sign of the heat returning. “Temperatures will be close to normal,” he said.
As for a long-range forecast, Adams said temperatures for July, August and September also should be near normal.
The area’s average temperature is 70.5 degrees for July, 69.1 degrees for August, and 61.9 degrees for September, according to NWS records.
The Valley should also get a normal amount of rain those three months, Adams said.
Average rainfall is 4.31 inches in July, 3.24 inches in August and 3.75 inches in September, according to NWS records.
Showers and thunderstorms are expected Thursday, and there’s a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms Sunday. Through Monday, those are the only days with rain in the forecast for the region, according to the NWS.