>> FROM THE OUTREACH STUDIOS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY AND ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE AT PENN STATE, THIS IS "WEATHER WORLD".

[♪♪] >> GOOD EVENING WELCOME TO "WEATHER WORLD" ON THIS THURSDAY MARCH 27TH, 2025.

I'M ALONGSIDE OUR FORECASTER QUINN.

AND QUINN IT'S MLB OPENING DAY AND METEOROLOGICALLY WE HAVE SEEN CURVEBALLS OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS.

>> THERE'S NOT MUCH CONSISTENT WEATHER COMING WEIGH WILL BE DEALING WITH THE WAVES OF COLD AND WARMTH.

THIS WEEKEND ESPECIALLY SATURDAY IT WILL BE A BEAUTIFUL DAY.

LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT.

>> LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT HOME RUN OF THE DAY.

AND ALSO ON TONIGHT'S SHOW, WE HAVE A STUDENT FEATURE ON PRESCRIBED BURNING PART OF PENNSYLVANIA FIRE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK.

HERE'S QUINN.

>> THANK YOU.

YEAH, TALKING ABOUT HOME RUNS OF A DAY, TODAY IS ONE OF THOSE DAYS.

LOOKING AT OUR FOUR CAMS ACROSS PENNSYLVANIA WE CAN SEE THE CONSISTENT THING ABOUT ALL THESE LOCATIONS WE'RE SEEING THE BLUE SKY.

WE HAVE BLUE SKY JUST HIGH CLOUDS AND WE SEE THOSE CUMULUS IN PITTSBURGH.

BUT THAT IS A SIGN THAT SPRING IS COMING AND WE WILL BE INCREASING THE TEMPERATURES AND BRINGING IN THE WARM AIR ESPECIALLY INTO THE WEEKEND.

WARMTH, THAT IS NOT THE WAY TO DESCRIBE THIS MORNING.

LOW TEMPERATURES THAT WERE OBSERVED ACROSS PENNSYLVANIA THIS MORNING, NOTICE WE WERE DEALING WITH THE TEENS.

BRADFORD YOU BOTTOMED OUT AT 14.

A CHILLY START TO THE MORNING AND THAT GAVE WAY TO A MILD DAY.

SO YOU CAN SEE MANY LOCATIONS EXPERIENCE TEMPERATURE SWINGS OF OVER 30° IN SOME LOCATIONS.

BRADFORD YOU WERE IN THE TEENS AND YOU'VE REACHED 50.

A BIG INCREASE IN TEMPERATURE AND WE WILL SEE THAT TEMPERATURE CONTINUE TO INCREASE AS WE WORK TOWARDS THE WEEKEND.

LOOKING AT OUR NATIONAL TEMPERATURES, YOU WILL NOTICE THIS CLEAR BOUNDARY ACROSS THE OHIO AND MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEYS THAT IS WHERE OUR WARM FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS LOCATED WHERE WE HAVE TEMPERATURES TO THE SOUTH IN THE 8 OCEAN AND NORTH OF THAT IN THE 50s.

CHICAGO 53 AND WICHITA 84.

A LARGE TEMPERATURE GRADIENT ACROSS THE WARM FRONT AND WHEN YOU HAVE THOSE PRESENT YOU WILL HAVE ACTIVE WEATHER AS WELL.

SOME SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS POPPING UP ACROSS THE CENTRAL PART OF THE COUNTRY AND ESPECIALLY AROUND ST. LOUIS YOU ARE DEALING WITH THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AS WELL.

AND THIS IS THE WEATHER THAT WILL MAKE ITS WAY TOWARDS PENNSYLVANIA TONIGHT AND INTO TOMORROW.

NOW, RIGHT NOW, THE STORM PREDICTION CENTRE HAS A MARGINAL RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER.

I WOULDN'T EXPECT MUCH IN THE WAY OF SEVERE WEATHER OR A THUNDERSTORM ACROSS PENNSYLVANIA BUT THIS STORM SYSTEM WILL BE WORKING TOWARDS THE COMMONWEALTH THAT WILL BRING US OUR ACTIVE WEATHER FOR FRIDAY.

SO THERE'S OUR WARM FRONT DRAPED ACROSS THE CENTRE OF THE COUNTRY AS WEIGH STEP THROUGH TONIGHT INTO TOMORROW YOU WILL SEE THE PRECIPITATION MAKE ITS WAY TOWARDS PENNSYLVANIA AND WE WILL BE DEALING WITH STEADY LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS AND THUNDER ACROSS THE NORTHERN TIER OF PENNSYLVANIA.

BUT GENERALLY ALL THAT PRECIPITATION IS GOING TO BE RATHER QUICK-HITTING IT WILL COME FRIDAY AND SATURDAY WE ARE GOING TO GET BRIEF RIDGING OF HIGH PRESSURE THAT ALLOWS US TO CLEAR UP.

THERE WILL BE THE RISK FOR SHOWERS BECAUSE THE FRONT IS CLOSE TO PENNSYLVANIA.

BUT SATURDAY WILL BE A NICE DAY ACROSS THE STATE.

LOOKING AT OUR HIGH RESOLUTION MODEL YOU WILL SEE THE SHOWERS ENTER THE COMMONWEALTH THROUGH TOMORROW.

THIS IS TOMORROW 7:00 P.M. MUCH OF THE REGION IS EXPERIENCING THE SHOWERS AND THOSE POCKETS OF HEAVIER RAIN WHERE WE MAY HAVE THUNDER AS WELL.

BUT THOSE SHOWERS WILL PUSH OFF TO THE NORTH AND EAST AND CLEARING ARRIVE ON SATURDAY AND IT WILL ALLOW US TO WARM-UP AS THAT WARM FRONT PUSHES TO THE NORTH.

SO WHAT DO WE EXPECT FOR TONIGHT?

RATHER CALM AND COOL.

TEMPERATURES WON'T BE AS LOW AS LAST NIGHT.

BUT I WOULD EXPECT LOWS IN THE MID-30s WITH SCATTERED CLOUDS PRESENT.

ISOLATED SPRINKLES POSSIBLE ACROSS THE NORTHERN TIER OF THE STATE.

AND THIS IS JUST GOING TO BE THAT COOL WEATHER THAT WE ARE GOING TO EXPERIENCE AHEAD OF THAT WARM FRONT AND THAT WARM FRONT IS GOING TO BE LIFTING NORTH FOR YOUR FRIDAY MANY YOU CAN SEE TOMORROW THIS IS THE MOST ACTIVE WEATHER DAY.

YOU WILL SEE WIDESPREAD SHOWERS LIKELY ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH BUT WE SEE THE TEMPERATURES ARE BEGINNING TO INCREASE.

WE SEE TEMPERATURES IN THE LOWER 60s ACROSS MUCH OF THE STATE.

WITH SHOWERS COVERING THE STATE.

I EXPECT THEM TO END FROM WEST TO EAST THROUGH THE DAY.

THERE IS A FEW OF THOSE HEAVIER SHOWERS MAY HAVE SOME RUMBLES OF THUNDER ESPECIALLY ACROSS NORTHERN PEN AS THAT WARM FRONT LIFTS TO THE NORTH.

AND SATURDAY, WHAT A PICTURESQUE DAY, 10-20° ABOVE AVERAGE.

THE LOWER SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY WE WILL BE GETTING INTO THE UPPER 70s AND PHILLY MAYBE HITTING THE 80° MARK.

THAT WILL BE MORE LIKE THAT SUMMER-LIKE FOR SATURDAY.

THERE WILL BE THE CHANCE OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE EVENING, I THINK SATURDAY IS GOING TO BE A PLEASANT DAY.

WE WILL BE BACK IN A MOMENT WITH MORE.

[♪♪] >> IT'S SPRINGS TIME IN PEN.

FLOWERS ARE BLOOMING, BIRDS ARE SINGING AND A SMELL OF SMOKE IN THE AIR?

FOR THE PENNSYLVANIA GAME COMMISSION FAIR WEATHER BETWEEN SPRING SHOWERS CREATES IDEAL CONDITIONS FOR PRESCRIBED BURNS.

WHAT ARE PRESCRIBED BURNS?

AND WHY ARE STATE AGENCIES USING THEM?

FOR THE ANSWER WE TALKED WITH PROFESSOR OF FIRE AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT.

>> A PRESCRIBED BURN IS CAREFULLY PLANNED BURN THAT'S DONE UNDER SPECIFIC WEATHER CONDITIONS AND USING SPECIFIC EMISSION TECHNIQUES TO SAFELY MEET LAND MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVE.

>> WHILE PRESCRIBED BURNS CAN BE DONE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, THE LARGE MAJORITY OF PENNSYLVANIA ARE CONDUCTED IN THE SPRING.

>> MOST BURNING IN PENNSYLVANIA OCCURS IN THE SPRING.

THERE IS A WINDOW OF WEATHER OPPORTUNITY AFTER THE SNOWMELTS THAT FUELS ARE DRYING OUT.

AND IN THE HARDWOOD ECOSYSTEMS THE LEAVES ARE NOT ON THE TREES YET.

IT IS ALLOWING THE SUN TO DRY OUT AND CREATE THE WINDOWS.

SOME OF THE WEARIERS TO BURNING ONE IS SIMPLY A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE WITH BURNING.

WE HAVE NOT BEEN USING FIRE IN PENNSYLVANIA FOR ALMOST 100 YEARS.

AGENCIES ARE STARTING TO USE IT MORE WIDELY, THE CAPACITY TO BE ABLE TO BURN MORE ON PRIVATE LANDS HAS BEEN LACKING.

>> IN PENNSYLVANIA MOST BURNS ARE CONDUCTED BY THE PEN GAME COMMISSION.

FIRE IS USED TO CREATE AND MAINTAIN HABITATS FOR GAME AND NONGAME SPECIES.

THE CREWS ARE WELL-TRAINED AND WILL DO A WALK THROUGH PRIOR TO BURNING THEN THE FIRE IS IGNITED IN AREAS SO THAT WILDLIFE HAS AN ESCAPE ROUTE.

FIRE HAS BEEN A PART OF OUR ECOSYSTEM SINCE THE BEGINNING.

SPECIES OF TREES AND GRASSES HAVE VICE-PRESIDENTED SYSTEMS TO RESIST, EVADE OR ENDURE FIRES.

>> WE ARE STANDING NEXT TO PRAIRIE WITH SCATTERED TREES ON PENN STATE UNIVERSITY'S PROPERTY.

THIS SIDE IS BURNED ABOUT EVERY TWO YEARS TO MAINTAIN THIS OPEN UNDER STORY OF GRASSES AND WILD FLOWERS THAT BENEFIT FROM BURNING.

AND THE SCATTERED TREES WHITE OAKS AND HICKORIES ARE TOLL LENGTH OF FIRE AND PERSIST IN THIS ENVIRONMENT THAT IS BURNED FREQUENTLY.

IT MAINTAINS THE OPEN STRUCTURE AND PROVIDES A LOT OF POLLINATOR HABITAT FOR BUTTERFLIES AND WILDLIFE.

>> PRESCRIBED BURNS DO POSE RISKS THAT BURN BOSSES HAVE TO CONSIDER.

SHOULD A BURN ESCAPE THE PERIMETER AND START A WILDFIRE IT COULD CAUSE A LOT OF DAMAGE.

PRESCRIBED BURNS ARE DONE UNDER WEATHER CONDITIONS TO INSURE THIRD QUARTER SLOW BURNING AND UNDER CONTROL.

>> SOME ARE COMMON OR FAMILIAR WEATHER PARAMETERS THAT A BURN BOSS WOULD LOOK AT WOULD BE RANGE OF AIR TEMPERATURES, RELATIVE HUMIDITY, WIND SPEED AND WIND DIRECTION TO HELP CONTROL BOTH THE INTENSITY AND THE DIRECTION AND RATE OF SPREAD OF A FIRE TO ENSURE IT'S SAFE AND EFFECTIVELY IMPLEMENTED.

AND ANOTHER THING IS HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN SINCE PRECIPITATION.

BECAUSE THE MOISTURE IN THE FUELS IS GOING TO BE AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT WHETHER IT'S TOO DRY TO BURN OR MORE COMMONLY IT'S TOO WET TO BURN.

YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO MEET YOUR OBJECTIVES.

WHILE KEEPING THE FIRE UNDER CONTROL IS A PRIMARY GOAL, THERE IS ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT CONCERN THAT MUST BE CONSIDERED.

>> ANOTHER RISK TO PRESCRIBED BLOOD PRESSURING IS THE IMPACTS OF SMOKE.

IT'S IMPORTANT FOR BURN BOSSES TO BE ABLE TO USE SPECIFIC WEATHER PREDICTION PARAMETERS TO ENSURE THE SMOKE GETS IN THE ATMOSPHERE AND DISPERSES INSTEAD OF IMPACTS ON COMMUNITIES.

FOR EXAMPLE, THIS ARBORETUM THAT BURNED WE ARE IN STATE COLLEGEBORO AND THE CAMPUS IS OVER THE HILL IT'S IMPORTANT IN BURNING THIS SITE TO ENSURE THAT SMOKE GETS UP AND OUT AND DOESN'T IMPACT ROADS OR ADJACENT COMMUNITIES.

>> WHILE METEOROLOGISTS USE THE TERM TO DESCRIBE THE WEATHER SETUP WHEN IT COMES TO SMOKE PLUMES INSTABILITY IS A GOOD THING.

>> THE MORE STABLE THE ATMOSPHERE MORE LIKELY THE SMOKE WILL SETTLE ON TO THE GROUND WHICH CAN BE A HAZARD WHEN BURNING.

SO HAVING SOME INSTABILITY IN THE ATMOSPHERE WILL HELP THAT SMOKE COLUMN MOVE UP INTO THE ATMOSPHERE AND DISPERSE.

IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT BURN BOSSES AND PRESCRIBED BURN MANAGERS UTILIZE FIRE WEATHER FORECASTS PUT OUT BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE THAT HAVE SPECIFIC INDICES THAT ARE RELATED TO ATMOSPHERIC STABILITY AND MIXING HOW HIGH SMOKE WOULD BE AN PARTICIPATED TO RIDES ANTICIPATED TO RISE.

>> THIS SUPPRESSION AND EXCLUSION OF FIRES IN OUR FORESTS LEAD TO THE INCREASED RISKS OF HIGHER SEVERITY FIRES PARTICULARLY OUT WEST.

>> ON THE INCREASE OF FUELS AND DENSITY.

FORESTS THAT RESULTED IN EXACERBATING A LOT OF THE FIRE HAZARDS THAT WE HAVE OUT WEST AND THE SEVERITY OF FIRES THAT DO BURN.

THERE IS A RECOGNITION TO USE PRESCRIBED FIRE MORE AS A FIRE HAZARD MITIGATION TOOL, BECAUSE WE UNDERSTAND IT'S ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND ECONOMICAL TOOLS WE CAN USE TO HELP MITIGATE HIGH SEVERITY WILDFIRES EVEN IN PLACES LIKE CALIFORNIA.

>> PENNSYLVANIA AGENCIES INCLUDING THE GAME COMMISSION RECOGNIZE THIS IS A WAY TO RESTORE AND PROTECT OUR NATURAL FORESTS AND THEY RELY ON THE NATIONAL WEATHER METEOROLOGISTS TO KEEP FIRES, SLOW, SMALL AND SAFE.

NEXT TIME YOU LOOK UP AND SEE A SMOKY SPRING SKY IT MIGHT NOT BE CAUSE FOR CONCERN.

IT COULD BE A PRESCRIBED BURN DESIGNED TO INCREASE HABITAT HEALTH AND KEEP US ALL SAFER IN THE LONG RUN.

[♪♪] >> AFTER AF VERY COOL BUT PLEASANT DAY ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH WE ARE GOING TO BEGIN TO HAVE SOME OF THAT COOLER CONDITIONS PERSIST FOR A LITTLE BIT.

AND THEN BRING IN THAT WARMTH.

FOR THE REST OF TONIGHT WE WHRB SEEING LOWS AROUND AVERAGE IN THE MID-30s AND LOWER 40s ACROSS THE SOUTHWESTERN PORTIONS OF THE STATE BUT GENERALLY SCATTERED CLOUDS AND MAYBE THE CHANCE FOR A SPRINKLE IN NORTHERN PENNSYLVANIA AND THAT WILL GIVE WAY TO SHOWERY CONDITIONS FOR FRIDAY AS A WARM FRONT LIFTS NORTH ACROSS THE STATE.

TEMPERATURES BE ON THE INCREASE AS THE WARM FRONT MOVES THROUGH.

TEMPERATURES IN THE LOW TO MID-60s.

WITH WIDESPREAD SHOWERS FOR YOUR FRIDAY.

AND THAT WILL GIVE WAY TO A SATURDAY RATHER PLEASANT WE'LL SEE TEMPERATURES 10-20° ABOVE AVERAGE IN THE MID-70s ACROSS THESE LOCATIONS AND DESPITE THE CHANCE WE MIGHT HAVE SCATTERED SHOWERS OR THUNDERSHOWERS, I THINK OVERALL IT WILL BE A PLEASANT SATURDAY AND THE PICK OF THE WEEKEND.

>> THANKS FOR THAT FORECAST, QUINN.

IT SOUNDS LIKE SATURDAY WILL BE A GREAT DAY.

AND THANK YOU ALL OUR MVP VIEWERS FOR JOINING US.

JOIN US TOMORROW AS WE BRING ON OUR CLOSER FORECAST.

TWO FULL WEEKS OF FORECASTING YOU OUT TO THE MIDDLE OF APRIL.

WE'LL SEE YOU THEN.

[♪♪]