Allentown weather: Record warmth possible Wednesday, Thursday

The Lehigh Valley could see near record warmth Wednesday amid an extremely dry period for the area.

The National Weather Service is predicting a highs in the 70s over the next two days, well above the average for this time of year.

Forecasters are expecting a high of 78 Wednesday followed by a high of 74 Thursday, which match record highs for Nov. 6 and Nov. 7. Those highs were set in 1948 and 1938 respectively, according to weather service data.

Outside of higher temperatures, forecasters also said there could be showers Wednesday into Thursday. Any rain would be minimal though, the weather service said.

The potential record-tying warmth comes during an extremely dry period for the area. Just .02 inches of rain fell the entire month of October in the Lehigh Valley. It was the driest month on record.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has placed Lehigh and Northampton counties under a drought watch.

Temperatures are expected to drop into the 60s during the weekend. Rain is possible again Sunday.

Here is the extended forecast from the National Weather Service:

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 74. Light west wind becoming northwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning.

Thursday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 41. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 67. Light west wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning.

Friday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 42.

: Sunny, with a high near 62.

Saturday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 38.

Sunday: A chance of showers after 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 63. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Sunday night: Showers likely, mainly before 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 68.

Monday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 46.