PITTSBURGH — Friday is shaping up to be the calm before the turn. CBS Pittsburgh said at 7:28 a.m. EDT on April 17, 2026, that the Pittsburgh area would have a pleasant day before storm chances return to the forecast tomorrow, with highs expected to reach the mid-70s.
That warmth is arriving in a city that has already been running hot. Temperatures so far this April have averaged 10.7 degrees above normal, and Pittsburgh is now on pace for the hottest April ever on record. By noon Friday, the city was expected to be 66 degrees, with light northwest winds around 5 mph. The normal high for April 17 is 63 degrees, and the normal low is 41.
The weather turns fast after that. Saturday has been declared a First Alert Weather Day because of a cold front passage, and the strongest storms are expected early to midafternoon. The Storm Prediction Center has placed the area in a level 2 slight risk out of 5 for severe storm coverage, with the main threats listed as strong straight-line wind, downpours and frequent lightning. Large hail and even a tornado cannot be ruled out.
After around 7 p.m. Saturday, the threat eases. The forecast calls for just rain showers for the rest of the day, a sharp contrast from the earlier window when storms could be at their worst. That swing is what makes the day worth watching: Pittsburgh could go from springlike warmth to damaging weather in a matter of hours.
The bigger picture is that the warm stretch has been persistent, not accidental. Temperatures have been running well above normal throughout April 2026, and even after next week’s cooldown, most days are still expected to stay above the normal high and low temperatures for April 17. The cold front may finally interrupt the run, but it will not erase the month’s larger pattern.
There is also another twist waiting early next week. A couple of snow showers are possible Monday morning, and temperatures Monday and Tuesday mornings are expected to dip near or below freezing before warming again Tuesday afternoon. For a region that has spent much of the month on the warm side of the ledger, the shift is abrupt, but the forecast leaves little room for doubt: the pleasant start to Friday gives way to severe-storm concerns Saturday, then a return to colder air before temperatures rebound again next week.