Potentially ‘damaging’ storms on the way for the Philadelphia region late Sunday

While it may be warm, Sunday won’t be ideal for any backyard BBQs or afternoon trips to the park with showers, thunderstorms, and gusty winds possible in the Philadelphia region.

A bout of showers and a possible thunderstorm are anticipated early Sunday, letting up for a brief period before a round of stronger storms could roll in during the late afternoon, according to the National Weather Service’s Mount Holly Office. Temperatures will be pleasant in the day, with the mercury climbing into the mid-70s in Philadelphia and South Jersey before tumbling down into the 40s overnight.

“The show starts” in the morning, according to the National Weather Service, but be on the lookout for potentially severe thunderstorms between 4 and 8 p.m., with “damaging winds and a few tornadoes” possible. The southern parts of the region, including South Jersey and Delmarva, may be most impacted.

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“An intensifying cyclone will move through the Great Lakes today, with the system’s warm front passing through the area this morning and the system’s cold front then passing through late this afternoon into this evening,” the NWS said in its forecast discussion for Sunday. “This setup will result in an active weather day with multiple chances for showers and thunderstorms and then a chance of strong winds tonight.”

Fog could also develop in the Philly area before noon. The morning and early afternoon’s round of activity could bring up to a half inch of rain, with gusts as high as 25 mph, according to the NWS. Storms expected to develop later Sunday could see up to a quarter of an inch of additional rainfall with winds blowing up to 40 mph.

Sunday’s severe weather is expected to be felt across the East Coast, reaching south to parts of Georgia, according to AccuWeather.

“At this time, it looks like the primary threat for severe weather in the Eastern states on Sunday will be damaging wind,” said AccuWeather senior meteorologist Courtney Travis.

Temperatures will be cooler early in the week, with Monday’s high reaching the mid-50s before dipping down to the high-30s at night. It could get windy too, with gusts that could reach 30 mph.

Tuesday may prove to be a bit warmer with highs in the mid-60s. Showers are possible again Wednesday and might creep into part of Thursday — the Phillies’ home opener, when the high temperature is not even expected to reach 50.

That’s a far cry from this past Friday, when Philly broke a 100-year-old record with a high of 83 degrees.