The clear skies and cooler temperatures that will characterize Monday and Tuesday were expected to turn gradually over to rain and hotter temperatures by the end of the week.
As a bubble of unseasonably warm air pushes eastward this week, temperatures were expected to reach the upper 70s byThursday and Friday, according to the National Weather Service in State College. The heat wave will also likely be accompanied by a greater chance for rain beginning Wednesday, when a 40 percent chance of precipitation was forecast.
Somewhat cooler temperatures were anticipated until the middle of the week, with a daytime high expected to correspond with mostly sunny skies Tuesday, the weather service predicted.
AccuWeather.com predicted a relatively quick transition to warmer temperatures along the east coast, particularly in areas just south of the Pennsylvania line, as warm air heads east from areas over Texas and the midwest.
Highs could reach or exceed 80 degrees later this week in areas from Detroit and Chicago to Washington, D.C., according to AccuWeather, with even higher temperatures possible south of the nation's capital, from Virginia into the Carolinas.
Intermittent showers were predicted to dot the latter half of the week, with the strongest chance for rain coming Friday, with early estimates pointing to a 50 percent chance of precipitation, according to the National Weather Service.