The record temperature in Philadelphia on October 22 was 84

On Tuesday, the official temperature in Philadelphia hit 84 degrees, which was a record for that day and was almost 20 degrees above normal for October 22, which was largely due to the fact that the region is on track to set new standards for fall dryness.

The reading at Philadelphia International Airport exceeded 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 that date of 82 degrees.

The air mass is not only warm, but also almost dry in the uppermost layers of the atmosphere, said Dave Dombek, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather Inc. With little humidity near the surface, the sun can concentrate on heating rather than evaporation.

“The daytime temperatures are as high as they can get,” he said. The dryness also made it easier to cool at night, as clear skies allowed heat during the day to escape into space.

Not a drop of rain fell this month, with only 0.77 inches falling in September. In the 30 days that ended Monday, rainfall totals in Philadelphia were just 8% of normal.

» READ MORE: Philly is closing in on 100-year dryness records. What’s behind the lack of rain?

Wednesday is expected to be a few degrees “cooler” with highs around 80.

The front is then forecast to cool significantly on Thursday, with highs in the mid-60s, near seasonal normal.

The region is not expected to see highs in the 1970s again until at least next Tuesday.

There will also be no visible raindrops, said Alex Staarmann, a meteorologist with the weather office in Mount Holly. Like its recent predecessors, this front is passing dry.

“It won’t rain anytime soon,” Staarmann said.