00:00 - From the Ban Family Studios in the Department

00:03 - of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science at Penn State.

00:07 - This is Weather World.

00:20 - Hello everyone, and welcome to Weather World.

00:22 - Today is Monday, August 31st, 2026.

00:25 - I'm Rob Blanding, joined by Juliet Biscotti with the forecast this evening.

00:29 - Juliet, you've been away doing

00:30 - summer internships and forecasting through the summer.

00:33 - Welcome back to the show today, bringing some mugginess with you.

00:37 - Yeah, I've got the mugginess and again, the showers and storms.

00:40 - I said that all summer, and I'm saying it again.

00:42 - Here we are.

00:43 - Yeah. Heading for the last day of meteorological summer.

00:45 - We'll get those details from you in just a little bit on tonight's show.

00:48 - We'll also have the extended forecast taking us through Labor Day.

00:51 - But first, it's a Monday.

00:52 - Here's this week's hashtag headlines.

01:04 - I'm studio meteorologist Caitlin Corey, and this is Hashtag

01:07 - Headlines, our weekly look at what's been trending in weather and climate news.

01:11 - We'll get started with hashtag landslide.

01:14 - Scientists have been working tirelessly interpreting data and observations

01:18 - to determine the events

01:19 - that led to the devastating flooding along the Nepal Tibet border last week.

01:23 - In the morning hours of August 26th, data showed that an earthquake

01:27 - had occurred in the region.

01:28 - However, it was later found that the seismic rumblings were actually caused

01:32 - by a massive landslide measuring at around 5.7

01:36 - magnitude on the scale, one of the largest in the last two decades.

01:39 - Using satellite imagery, it was determined that in conjunction with the landslide,

01:44 - a thick layer of glacial ice broke off, causing the rock above it to collapse

01:48 - and send tons of mud, ice and rock down the Coachella Valley.

01:53 - The cause of the collapse is attributed to warm conditions melting the bottom

01:56 - layer of ice, causing the mountainside to become unstable.

02:00 - Together with the landslide, large volumes of floodwater also swept through.

02:04 - Although experts say the exact cause of the flood is still a mystery,

02:08 - the catastrophic flooding has led to the deaths of over 900 people

02:11 - across Nepal and Tibet so far, with over 4000 still missing.

02:16 - Turbulent weather has made response

02:18 - difficult as emergency responders continue to intensify rescue efforts.

02:23 - Next up is hashtag low Euro rivers.

02:26 - In a European summer that has been battling excessive heat

02:29 - and wildfires, trouble has also risen on the waterfront.

02:33 - The Danube and Rhine rivers are critical waterways across Europe for transporting

02:37 - goods, generating energy and providing habitat for wildlife.

02:40 - While rivers across the continent tend to drain some in the summer.

02:44 - The intense heat waves and drought experienced in 2026

02:47 - so far have caused them to fall to historically low levels.

02:51 - Earlier this month, water levels in Budapest sank to just four inches,

02:55 - beating the previous record of 13in set back in 2018.

02:59 - In Hungary, the pact's nuclear power plant is operating at around 10% of its power

03:04 - after the loss of cooling water from the Danube River.

03:07 - Areas across the Rhine River have also felt strain, such as western Germany,

03:11 - where the water levels dropped to nine inches,

03:13 - also beating out its 2018 record of 9.3.

03:17 - Commercial ships have reduced their load by more than 80%, while tourism

03:20 - based river cruises have also been disrupted or canceled

03:24 - due to the risks that low water levels pose to sailing.

03:27 - Many of the rivers in Europe are seeing these drastic changes to their water

03:30 - levels, a pattern that scientists say will become more common

03:33 - as Europe continues to be the fastest warming continent in the world.

03:38 - And finally, we have hashtag jellyfish.

03:40 - While some nuclear power plants in Europe are managing problems that arise

03:44 - from low river levels, others are dealing with a different kind of aquatic issue.

03:48 - The Groveland Nuclear Power Plant in northern France has seen

03:51 - multiple closures of its units this month, following the presence of jellyfish

03:55 - in the sea.

03:55 - Water filtration system used to cool its reactors.

03:59 - Last week, two out of six of its reactors were closed, mere days

04:02 - after power was restored

04:04 - to some units impacted by the first swarm of jellyfish earlier this month.

04:08 - Nuclear energy in France makes up 70% of the electricity

04:11 - in the country, and Groveland six reactors produce 900MW of power

04:16 - that account for around 9% of nuclear generation in France.

04:20 - Jellyfish are most active during warmer months,

04:22 - when increased plankton levels bring them to the water surface.

04:26 - Preventative measures are being taken to try and stop the jellyfish infiltration,

04:30 - such as a partnership

04:31 - with local fishermen to capture and release them further from the site.

04:35 - While other cases of the tentacled intruders have been reported in prior

04:38 - years.

04:38 - Scientists say that these cases are rare and pose no safety risks to the facility,

04:44 - and those are this week's hashtag headlines.

04:46 - Your Pennsylvania short range forecast is coming up next.

05:14 - After an unsettled weekend,

05:16 - after a subtle weekend of weather, we have unsettled weather on the way.

05:20 - We'll take a look at our live cam of Altoona throughout the day today,

05:23 - where we could see we have some mostly cloudy skies.

05:25 - And also Altoona did see some periods of light rain this afternoon as well.

05:31 - Satellite and radar is showing these signs of some showers

05:35 - and even some storms moving through Pennsylvania at the moment.

05:38 - We've got some pop up storms and so that's the story right now.

05:42 - And this is all associated with a low pressure system.

05:45 - But first we're going to talk about temperatures.

05:47 - We've got, for the most part some pretty warm temperatures

05:50 - throughout the Commonwealth.

05:51 - We have some places in the 80s, some places in the mid to upper 70s,

05:55 - and some places like northeastern Pennsylvania, Scranton

05:58 - still sitting in the 60s.

06:00 - That's where that rain is that we saw on the satellite and radar before also.

06:05 - It's feeling pretty muggy and uncomfortable outside.

06:08 - That's because of the dew points.

06:09 - You can see State College at 73 degrees for their dew point,

06:13 - and Pittsburgh at 70 as well.

06:15 - Once we get above 60 it's uncomfortable 70.

06:18 - It's feeling really uncomfortable.

06:20 - So definitely not a great day to layer your clothes.

06:23 - And what I can tell you is the next two days

06:25 - won't be that great to layer clothes as well.

06:27 - So you can see here moving into your Tuesday, we've got dew points reaching up

06:31 - into the 70s pretty much across central Pennsylvania

06:34 - and then moving into your Wednesday as well.

06:37 - Rising back up into the 70s.

06:39 - And as you saw in the evenings as well, dew points are going to stay elevated.

06:43 - So you might sweat a little bit at night.

06:45 - It's going to feel muggy and you've got those high temperatures as well.

06:49 - So you can see temperatures across the entirety of the United States.

06:53 - In the Midwest we've got some 90s there, Dallas at 100 degrees.

06:57 - But here in Pennsylvania, we're not getting that hot,

07:01 - but we are still a little bit above average for this time of year.

07:05 - So just keep that in mind.

07:07 - Also satellite and radar is showing a low

07:10 - pressure system spinning to our northwest.

07:13 - That is bringing with it some fronts.

07:15 - And with these fronts we have those chances for some showers and storms.

07:19 - We're going to time it all out for you here.

07:21 - You can see this low pressure system is going to begin to make its way

07:24 - towards us a little bit more to the east and sitting north to us.

07:29 - So we're getting those showers and storms, and you have the stationary boundary

07:33 - situated above us.

07:34 - That's going to be a little bit not ready to move.

07:38 - So you've got it sticking over us again on Wednesday, bringing us

07:42 - some more shower and storm potential.

07:45 - And you can see we're going to time everything out on the hurt here.

07:47 - Northeastern Pennsylvania

07:49 - seeing some showers and storms this evening

07:51 - and then moving into tomorrow morning as well.

07:53 - We've got northeastern

07:54 - and southwestern Pennsylvania getting those showers and storms.

07:58 - I'd say if you're in eastern Pennsylvania, you're going to be getting

08:00 - the bulk of these showers and storms into Wednesday as well.

08:04 - Now, the SPC has released a level

08:07 - two risk for these showers and storms for tomorrow.

08:10 - That means you could have some enhanced wind speeds,

08:13 - some potential for hail, and some heavy downpours and localized flooding.

08:17 - For tonight, we're calling it a summerlike end to meteorological summer.

08:21 - It's going to be humid.

08:22 - We've got those showers and storms overnight as that low pressure

08:25 - system starts to make its way towards us, and temperatures are on the higher side.

08:29 - This evening it's going to be above average.

08:32 - Moving into your Tuesday again,

08:34 - it's going to be above average for your temperatures.

08:36 - We're in the 80s for most.

08:37 - Some places, like Philadelphia reaching up to 91.

08:41 - So it's a stormy September start as well.

08:43 - We've got those showers and storms making their way through that level to risk.

08:46 - So especially in eastern Pennsylvania, you have that risk

08:50 - for those downpours, those winds and even that potential for some hail.

08:54 - So just keep that in mind.

08:55 - And then moving into to your Wednesday, we're calling it a bowl

08:58 - because we've got again above average temperatures

09:01 - and we've got the mugginess sticking around once again.

09:04 - Like I said before, not a good day to layer your clothes.

09:07 - Up next we'll have the extended forecast.

09:40 - Tonight's edition of the

09:41 - Extended forecast covers the Labor Day holiday weekend.

09:44 - And if you've got any plans

09:45 - to get outdoors, including camping or some football or picnics outside,

09:49 - we've got some good news on the way, but we've got to get there first.

09:52 - More on that in just a moment.

09:53 - First, here's a starting point the water vapor

09:55 - satellite imagery over the last 48 hours or so reveals

09:58 - blistering winds aloft over the lower 48, and we're in a rinse and repeat pattern.

10:02 - We'll see multiple chances for rain and storms as we go through the first half

10:07 - of this week, and that chance continues as we go into Thursday and Friday as well.

10:11 - Here's a breakdown of the upper air pattern,

10:13 - courtesy of the European model projection.

10:15 - And we do see a chance there

10:17 - for some showers and storms as we see a boundary situated to our north.

10:21 - We've got this system here that will be situated, north

10:24 - of New England boundary kind of stalled through the northeast.

10:28 - And eventually that does cross through Pennsylvania.

10:30 - Going into Friday's, we'll have that chance

10:32 - for rain and storms and locally heavy rain, especially on Thursday.

10:36 - Coverage becomes a bit more isolated on Friday as that boundary slip southward,

10:40 - by the way, that will also start to tank our humidity levels.

10:43 - So Thursday still looking humid.

10:45 - Decreasing humidity as we go through the day on Friday.

10:48 - By the time we get to Sunday, high pressure is really building this big ridge

10:51 - across the plains.

10:53 - We'll see high pressure at the surface begin to move into Pennsylvania as well.

10:57 - Can't rule out the chance for a spotty shower,

10:59 - especially with this storm system over the Canadian Maritimes.

11:02 - Could see some wraparound moisture, perhaps in eastern Pennsylvania

11:05 - most likely, but most of us staying dry Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

11:09 - And with a pattern like this, it doesn't look hot in Pennsylvania.

11:12 - I think our temperatures will actually be seasonable

11:14 - as we go into this early part of September.

11:17 - Humidity tracker certainly reveals the muggy is in place on Thursday.

11:20 - Plenty of fuel for some thunderstorms

11:22 - and the flash flooding potential certainly there on Thursday.

11:25 - By Friday, the boundary sags southward.

11:27 - You see our humidity on the decrease, especially in northern Pennsylvania.

11:31 - Still some mugginess and especially in the south as we go through the afternoon.

11:34 - But by the time we start off the weekend on Saturday, we'll see plenty of comfort.

11:38 - And I think we'll see those temperatures really drop as well at night.

11:41 - So very comfortable

11:42 - nights on the way going into Labor Day holiday itself on Monday.

11:46 - Here's a breakdown of the extended forecast.

11:48 - We'll see muggy conditions and a mix of clouds and sun on Thursday.

11:51 - Temperatures in the upper 70s to lower 90s in the hot spots, especially southeast.

11:56 - Rain and thunderstorms.

11:57 - Best chance for some locally heavy rain will be Thursday.

12:00 - Coverage is a bit more diminished on Friday as that boundary sags southward.

12:03 - Humidity levels on the decrease.

12:05 - Temperatures will be seasonable both Saturday Sunday

12:07 - and even into Monday to a comfortable stretch.

12:10 - Plenty of sunshine both weekend days.

12:12 - Just a spotty sprinkle chance.

12:13 - High clouds, but still dry going into Labor Day Monday itself.

12:17 - And that's your extended forecast. We're back in a moment with more.

12:30 - We've got a muggy few days ahead, but for tonight

12:33 - it's going to be a summer-like end to meteorological summer.

12:37 - It's going to feel pretty humid.

12:38 - We've got some high dew points

12:40 - as well as some high temperatures this evening,

12:42 - so you might sweat a little bit while you're sleeping.

12:44 - We've got some light winds as well, and then some showers and storms

12:48 - overnight in the morning.

12:49 - Tomorrow you'll see some patchy fog hanging around,

12:51 - but once that goes away, we'll see some showers and storms.

12:55 - And with those, we have risks for some wind, hail and even some heavy downpours.

13:00 - So just keep that in mind and it's going to be muggy and sticky once again.

13:04 - So that's the trend for the upcoming days.

13:06 - And then Wednesday it's a soupy squall.

13:08 - We have above average temperatures so it's going to feel fairly hot.

13:12 - We've got 89.

13:13 - So temperatures are pretty high Pittsburgh at 91.

13:17 - Some lighter winds and continued humidity as well.

13:20 - So just keep that in mind as you're going through the next few days.

13:23 - Back to you Rob,

13:25 - and thanks very much.

13:26 - Juliette.

13:26 - A good idea to stay weather aware these next few days.

13:29 - Thank you for tuning in on tonight's show.

13:30 - That's all the time we have.

13:31 - And tomorrow night

13:32 - we've got a special feature talking about the spotted lanternfly.

13:35 - If you've been out and about in Pennsylvania,

13:37 - chances are pretty good you've seen this invasive species.

13:39 - We'll have more tomorrow night to see it. That.