here The map for Aug. 7, 1918 is below." />

Elliot Abrams

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Dazzling to Dampening

August 07, 2012; 6:37 AM

Tuesday 8:30 a.m.

Drier air advanced into the northeast quarter of the nation yesterday, but its tenure is temporary and will be quickly terminated. As a high pressure area moves off the East Coast and a low pressure area forms near the lower Great Lakes, more humid air will be drawn northward... and the chance of showers and thunderstorms will increase. This looks like the kind of setup that can unleash 1-2 inches of rain in some areas. However, until we see exactly where the storm forms and how the moisture becomes arranged around it, forecasting rainfall amounts for various places is risky. The video has more.

On this date in 1918, Philadelphia had a high temperature of 106, the highest official reading ever for that city. What did the weather map look like that day? NOAA maintains an archive of weather maps for each day back to 1871. You can view them here The map for Aug. 7, 1918 is below. The map time is 1 a.m., and you may be able to see the 80-degree isotherm for that hour.

In those days, weather records were kept at the Customs House in Center City, Philadelphia. In later years, the observation site was shifted to Philadelphia International Airport. Airport locations are typically somewhat cooler than the middle of our big cities.

The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of AccuWeather, Inc. or AccuWeather.com

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About This Blog

Elliot Abrams
Elliot Abrams from AccuWeather.com offers this Northeast Weather Blog for the U.S. with regular updates on NE weather from a leading forecaster and meteorologist.