Heat — Montgomery, Pennsylvania

2005-08-02 to 2005-08-05 · Montgomery, Pennsylvania

Wider weather episode

Another run of unseasonably hot weather affected eastern Pennsylvania from August 2nd through the 5th. High temperatures reached at least into the mid 90s each afternoon. The heat resulted in five more heat related deaths (4 in Philadelphia, 1 in Montgomery County). Hospitals saw an increase in cases of heat exhaustion and respiratory related illnesses. Even some of the Philadelphia Eagles were affected by the heat as they had to cut their practices short at Lehigh University. Seeking relief from the heat helped cause the drowning of a 17 year-old boy in Upper Providence Township (Montgomery County). He was swimming with his friends in the Perkiomen Creek in Lower Perkiomen Valley Park when he drowned. Once again the city of Philadelphia declared a code red as outreach teams helped the homeless by offering them cold water and air conditioned shelters to escape the heat. The PJM Interconnection Electricity Grid Operator asked for public conservation of electricity. The excessive heat did put a strain on electrical systems and caused widely scattered power outages in Berks County.A weak cold front moved through eastern Pennsylvania during the night of the 5th and brought temporary relief from the heat and humidity. Highest temperatures included 98 degrees in West Chester (Chester County) and Easton (Northampton County), 96 degrees at the Philadelphia International Airport, Reading (Berks County) and the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 95 degrees in Doylestown and Neshaminy Falls (Bucks County) and 93 degrees in Pottstown (Montgomery County).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5473322. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.