BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The Lehigh Valley should be “weather savvy” the next few days, forecasters warn, with multiple rounds of severe weather possible.
The first round of storms is expected between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Friday, with a second round possible between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., the National Weather Service said.
Saturday could bring a more heightened risk of severe weather, and a brief tornado can't be ruled out, the latest NWS forecast discussion said.
But one local meteorologist suggested the severe aspects of these storms may not hold together.
Friday
EPAWA meteorologist Bobby Martrich said Friday’s storms likely will be “on either side of noon” for some people.
In his morning video update, Martrich said the storms would come from a “quick-moving line” originating out of the Midwest.
The Storm Prediction Center has the Lehigh Valley on the border of a marginal to slight risk (1 out of 5 / 2 out of 5) for severe storms.
“I think a marginal risk would have sufficed,” Martrich said.
He said areas further north could see just general, garden-variety storms.
“Ahead of this warm front, it’s not going to be that soupy, high humidity, high dew point atmosphere."EPAWA meteorologist Bobby Martrich
He said the antecedent air mass prior to the line of storms moving through likely would not support the most severe weather.
“Ahead of this warm front, it’s not going to be that soupy, high humidity, high dew point atmosphere,” he said
He said models showed the line of storms mostly falling apart as it moved east.
Saturday
Right on the heels of Friday’s warm front, the Lehigh Valley will see a cold front move in Saturday.
The SPC has the entire area at a slight risk of severe weather, but Martrich said that, too, has trended less severe on model runs and soundings.
“Unfortunately, this threat is conditional and entirely dependent on the morning and how it evolves. So the forecast may vary significantly by this time tomorrow."Forecast discussion
The weather service said it sees some parameters that support damaging winds and hail, keeping the entire area at that slight risk level.
“Unfortunately, this threat is conditional and entirely dependent on the morning and how it evolves," the forecast discussion said.
"So the forecast may vary significantly by this time tomorrow."
The cold front will push off the coast by Saturday night and the threat for storms wanes in addition to the loss of daytime heating, the NWS said.
Sunday is looking like the better half of the weekend, the discussion said, but wind gusts 30-35 mph will be possible, diminishing Sunday night under mostly clear skies.
Despite windy conditions, high temperatures should mainly be in the 70s.
