Philly set a daily temperature record with a high of 84 degrees

The official temperature in Philly reached 84 on Tuesday, a record for the date and nearly 20 degrees above normal for an Oct. 22, and that was very much related to the fact that the region is on its way to establishing new standards for autumnal dryness.

The reading at Philadelphia International Airport topped the old record of 83 degrees that had stood for 104 years, the National Weather Service in Mount Holly said. Wilmington also reached a high for the date, 82 degrees.

The air mass is not only warm, it’s dry pretty much through the heights of the atmosphere, said Dave Dombek, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc. With not much moisture near the surface, the sun can concentrate on heating rather than evaporation.

“The daytime temperatures are getting as warm as they possibly could,” he said. The dryness also has facilitated nighttime cooling, as the clear skies have allowed daytime heating to escape into space.

Not so much as a drop of rain has fallen this month, after only 0.77 inches in September. In the 30-day period that ended Monday, Philadelphia’s precipitation total was just 8% of normal.

» READ MORE: Philly is closing in on century-old records for dryness. What’s behind the lack of rain?

Wednesday is due to be a few degrees “cooler,” with the high topping out around 80.

Then a front if forecast to cool things considerably for Thursday, with highs in the mid-60s, near the seasonal normal.

The region is not expected to see highs in the 70s again at least through next Tuesday.

Nor will it see raindrops, said Alex Staarmann, a meteorologist in the weather service’s Mount Holly Office. As its recent predecessors, this front is coming through dry.

Said Staarmann, “It won’t be raining any time soon.”