033  
FXUS61 KCTP 010006  
AFDCTP  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA  
806 PM EDT SAT MAY 31 2025  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
* WINDS WILL BEGIN DIMINISHING TONIGHT AS CLOUDS BEGIN  
SCATTERING OUT AND LIFTING.  
* DRY CONDITIONS PREVAIL FOR THE FIRST HALF OF THE WEEK BEFORE  
A RETURN TO SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MID-TO-LATE NEXT WEEK.  
* TEMPERATURES WELL-BELOW AVERAGE TODAY TREND WARMER INTO NEXT  
WEEK.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /UNTIL 8 AM SUNDAY MORNING/
 
 
GUSTY GRADIENT WINDS WILL CONTINUE FOR THE FIRST PART OF  
TONIGHT. THE GUSTINESS SHOULD DIMINISH OVERNIGHT, BUT MOST  
PLACES WILL STILL HAVE WIND SPEEDS IN THE 8-10KT RANGE DUE TO  
WRAP AROUND WINDS ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE SURFACE LOW.  
 
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE MOSTLY LEFT CENTRAL PA. A FEW  
SPRINKLES COULD BE SEEN OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS, BUT FOR  
THE MOST PART DRYING OUT WILL BEGIN TO OCCUR. COLDER AIR HAS  
QUICKLY BEEN USHERED IN BEHIND THE COLD FRONT, BRINGING TEMPS  
DOWN QUICKLY FROM TODAY'S HIGHS. CLOUDS WILL BREAK UP FOR MUCH  
OF THE AREA (ESP S OF I-80) EARLY TONIGHT. TEMPS WON'T GET CRAZY  
COLD, DESPITE OUR COOL START TO THE NIGHT AND 0C 8H ISOTHERM  
INVADING THE N. EXPECT THE WIND TO HELP A LITTLE, AND LOW TEMPS  
WILL TURN OUT NEAR 40F IN THE ALLEGHENIES AND M40S IN THE SUSQ  
VALLEY.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /8 AM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/
 
 
AFTER THE COOL START, THE SUN SHOULD WORK ON THE DAMP GROUND  
AND THE COOL POCKET ALOFT WILL HELP STRATOCU TO FORM AND CONGEST  
OVER THE NRN HALF+ OF THE CWA DURING THE DAY SUNDAY. THE SRN  
HALF WILL END UP MOSTLY SUNNY. THERE IS A TINY CHC FOR A --SHRA  
OVER THE NRN TIER, BUT THE DRYNESS OF THE AIRMASS SHOULD  
EVAPORATE ANY BIGGER DROPLETS BEFORE THEY HIT THE GROUND. MAXES  
MAY FALL SHORT OF 60F N AND PROBABLY GET RIGHT TO 70F IN THE  
SE.  
 
WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME CALM MONDAY AS THE SURFACE LOW  
FULLY DEPARTS UP NEW ENGLAND INTO EASTERN CANADA AND HIGH  
PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE REGION. MONDAY MORNING WILL BE THE  
COLDEST OF THE WEEK WITH THE LOWS IN THE NW MOUNTAINS  
THREATENING TO DROP AS LOW AS THE UPPER 30S. THERE COULD BE A  
FEW HOURS OF PATCHY FROST EARLY MONDAY IN THOSE LOCATIONS.  
TEMPERATURES WILL BEGIN TO WARM BACK UP MONDAY AFTERNOON WITH  
WESTERLY FLOW, BUT STILL REMAIN BELOW SEASONAL AVERAGES FOR  
THIS TIME OF YEAR. DRY CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE  
EARLY PART OF THIS WEEK.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/
 
 
ON THE LARGE-SCALE, THE AMPLIFIED, BLOCKY UPPER-LEVEL PATTERN  
WE'VE SEEN NOW FOR SEVERAL WEEKS IS STILL FORECAST TO FLATTEN  
OUT AND PROGRESS NEXT WEEK, ALLOWING SIGNIFICANT HEIGHT RISES  
ALOFT TO DEVELOP OVER THE EASTERN CONUS. THIS SIGNALS A TREND  
TOWARDS MUCH WARMER TEMPERATURES AND GENERALLY LESS RAINFALL  
THAN WE'VE EXPERIENCED LATELY.  
 
AS FOR THE DAILY SENSIBLE WEATHER, AFTER A CHILLY START EARLY  
MONDAY, THE FIRST HALF OF NEXT WEEK TURNS MUCH WARMER, WITH  
RAIN-FREE CONDITIONS ANTICIPATED. AFTERNOON HIGHS ARE EXPECTED  
TO SURGE WELL INTO THE 80S BY TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY, AND COULD  
EVEN MAKE A RUN AT 90 ACROSS THE LOWER SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY.  
 
A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT COULD MAKE A CLOSE ENOUGH APPROACH TO  
THE COMMONWEALTH TO BRING AFTERNOON AND EVENING FAVORED SHOWERS  
AND THUNDERSTORMS TOWARDS THE END OF THE WEEK.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /00Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/
 
 
MAIN CHANGE FOR THE 00Z TAF PACKAGE WAS TO HOLD ONTO THE  
CLOUDS LONGER OVERNIGHT INTO SUNDAY, GIVEN THE DEEP LOW  
OVER THE NORTHEAST STATES AND NEAR RECORD COLD AIR BEING  
ADVECTED INTO THE AREA.  
 
LIKEWISE, EXPECT WINDS TO STAY UP FOR MOST PART INTO  
SUNDAY, GIVEN THE ABOVE FACTORS.  
 
CIGS WILL RANGE FROM MVFR AND IFR OVER THE MOUNTAINS,  
TO VFR FURTHER TO THE SOUTHEAST.  
 
OUTLOOK...  
 
MONDAY-WEDNESDAY...MAINLY CLEAR WITH VFR CONDITIONS.  
 
THURSDAY...CHANCE OF SHOWERS NORTH AND WEST, HOT AND HUMID SE.  
 

 
   
CLIMATE
 
 
MAY 2025 PRECIPITATION RANKINGS  
 
SITE MAY 1-30, 2025 | WETTEST MAY ON RECORD  
-----------------------------------------------------------  
HARRISBURG 9.72" WETTEST | 9.71" IN 1989 (PREVIOUS)  
WILLIAMSPORT 6.99" 5TH WETTEST | 9.91" IN 1919  
ALTOONA 7.24" 3RD WETTEST | 7.31" IN 1960  
STATE COLLEGE 6.47" 9TH WETTEST | 9.45" IN 1894 (~5/29)  
 
RECORD PRECIPITATION WAS OBSERVED IN HARRISBURG ON MAY 30TH  
WHEN 1.75 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION OCCURRED. THIS BROKE THE  
PREVIOUS RECORD OF 1.39 INCHES SET BACK IN 1953. FOR REFERENCE,  
A CONTINUOUS WEATHER RECORD HAS BEEN KEPT IN HARRISBURG SINCE  
1888.  
 
RECORD PRECIPITATION WAS ALSO OBSERVED AT JOHNSTOWN, WHERE 1.05  
INCHES OF PRECIPITATION OCCURRED, BREAKING THE OLD RECORD OF  
0.89 INCHES SET BACK IN 1975.  
 
A SEASONABLY STRONG/DEEP AREA OF LOW PRESSURE (~990MB) IS  
FORECAST TO MOVE ACROSS SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA OVERNIGHT. THE  
RECORD LOW PRESSURE FOR MAY AT HARRISBURG IS 983.4MB.  
 

 
   
CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
SYNOPSIS...BOWEN  
NEAR TERM...DANGELO/BOWEN  
SHORT TERM...DANGELO/BOWEN  
LONG TERM...JUREWICZ  
AVIATION...MARTIN  
CLIMATE...STEINBUGL/NPB  
 
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