Is this heat wave one of the longest in Bucks? Here's what the data says

With temperatures expected to hold above 90 degrees through the weekend, the hottest week of 2024 so far could be among the longest heat waves Bucks County has seen over the last decade.

Extreme temperatures are covering most of the Midwest and Northeast this week, with temperatures in the Philadelphia area expected to rise to almost 100 degrees by Friday and remain in the mid- to low-90s through the weekend.

According to the National Weather Service, a heat wave is a period of abnormally hot weather lasting more than two days. Heat waves are not dependent on humidity and cover large areas.

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A five- to six-day heat wave would be an unusually long stretch of potentially dangerous temperatures for Bucks County, but it wouldn’t set a record for the longest heat wave in Doylestown, where readings are taken and recorded from Doylestown Airport.

Those readings are a good snapshot of historical weather in Bucks County as Doylestown in center to the county.

A history of heat waves in Bucks County

There have been 33 heat waves in Doylestown since 2014, according to past daily temperature data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) taken from readings at Doylestown Airport.

Only 11 of those past heat waves have lasted five days or more, with most lasting only a few days.

The longest heat wave was eight days, from July 18 to July 25, in 2022, with temperatures then climbing from 91 to 98 degrees.

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While there have been triple-digit high temperatures recorded in Doylestown since 2014, the highest temperature recorded during any of the past heat waves has been 98 degrees.

Heat hitting earlier than usual in Bucks County?

Hot weather isn’t unusual for this time of year, especially since the official first day of summer is June 21, but heat waves in Bucks County don’t usually start this early in the year.

Most heat waves hit the area in July and August, though there was one heat wave that started on May 17, 2017, that lasted for three days and reached between 90 to 92 degrees.

Only four of the last 33 heat waves have started in June: one three-day wave that started on June 11, 2017, a seven-day one on June 29, 2018; a five-day heat wave that started June 5, 2021, and a four-day heat wave that started later that same month, on June 27.

The average temperature in June has been between 78 and 84 degrees since 2014.

Chris Ullery is the Philadelphia Hub Data Reporter for the USA Today Network. Reach him at cullery@couriertimes.com or find him on Twitter at @ulleryatinell.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Early heat wave hitting Bucks County will be longer than most