Record October heat possible in Pittsburgh before temps plummet

Pittsburghers will be dealing with potentially record-breaking heat for much of the week before a dramatic cold shift this weekend.

Meteorologists with the National Weather Service in Moon said Allegheny County might experience patchy fog Tuesday morning, followed by a mostly sunny day with “unseasonably warm” temperatures. The temperature should hit the lower 80s.

Tuesday night will be clear and mild, with lows in the mid 50s, the National Weather Service said. It will remain sunny and unseasonably warm — well into the 80s — on Wednesday and Thursday.

On Friday, though, temperatures in Allegheny County will drop, with lows in the 40s, and there will be a 50% chance of showers. On Saturday, temperatures will linger in the 50s; the chance of rain on Saturday is about 60%.

Temperatures will remain in the 40s and 50s until at least Monday, the National Weather Service predicted.

October hasn’t been this hot in Pittsburgh for a few years, records show.

The average October temperature in Pittsburgh was 50.7 in 2022 and 59.5 in 2021, according to National Weather Service records. Since records started in 1871, it has broken the 60-degree mark only once — in 1947.

The hottest October temperature in Pittsburgh was 89 degrees, which the region has not hit since Oct. 3, 1951, according to the website Extreme Weather Watch. It also reached 89 degrees in 1927, 1939 and twice in 1941.

The closest Pittsburgh has come to a record-high temperature in October was on Oct. 1, 2019, when it reached 88 degrees, records show.