Even with Excessive Heat Warnings and Heat Advisories up for the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania metro area, the City of Brotherly Love was able to break an extraordinary weather record: the most amount of “snow” to ever fall on Sunday. However, it’s more of a technicality than a real snowfall event in the midst of a intense July heatwave.
According to the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey, thunderstorms passed over Philadelphia International Airport on Sunday afternoon and produced small hail. The weather service said, “Since hail is frozen precipitation, this counts as a “trace” of snow in our climate reports. Hence the record daily snowfall report.”
While very rare, it isn’t too unusual. According to the weather service, these are other dates a trace of “snow” was reported into the records during the summer months of June, July, and August:
- August 18, 2011
- August 1, 2011
- July 23, 2008
- July 18, 2006
- June 26, 1998
- June 9, 1993
- June 27, 1951
- August 17, 1939
- August 19, 1919
- August 3, 1914
- July 24, 1913
- June 20, 1911
Records for Philadelphia go back to 1870 for this date. As such, Sunday’s “snowfall” of trace broke the old record of 0.0 inches set in 1870.
Despite the so-called snow, conditions will remain hot around Philadelphia through Wednesday. High temperatures will range from 90-100 with maximum heat indices around 100-110. With the heat, a few severe thunderstorms are possible Monday through Wednesday with locally damaging winds, heavy downpours, and frequent lightning. While hail cannot be completely ruled out, it is unlikely that hail and another shot at a record “snowfall” will happen in the next few days.
