Papal visit forecast: Rain may dampen final stop in Philadelphia

Three major cities and hundreds of thousands of people are anticipating the arrival of Pope Francis in the United States.

Three major cities and hundreds of thousands of people are anticipating the arrival of Pope Francis in the United States.

As part of his tour, the pope will make stops in Washington, D.C., New York City and Philadelphia. The pope will meet with President Obama, Congress, various churches and schools as well as make other public appearances.

Pope Francis will touch down on U.S. soil on Tuesday, Sept. 22, in Washington, D.C., as his tour begins.

In all three cities, tickets for public masses, papal parades and even public transportation were highly coveted.

Dry weather is favored for the three cities during the week, but rain could arrive this weekend.

“How nasty the weather gets along the coast this weekend will depend upon the track of an Atlantic storm,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.

Washington, D.C., Sept. 22-24

Pope Francis will arrive in the nation’s capital on Tuesday to mostly cloudy skies.

As he begins his official schedule filled with events and visits on Wednesday, bright sunshine will take hold over the city. However, daytime highs will hover near the 80-degree Fahrenheit mark, slightly higher than normal for this time of year.

“That’ll be the start of a drying trend for D.C.,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski said.

After meeting with President Obama on Wednesday morning, the pope will travel in the popemobile along the Ellipse and National Mall.
More than 200,000 are expected to cram the streets in hope for a view of the pope.

On Thursday morning, the pope will continue his travels in Washington, D.C., as he will make the first-ever address to the U.S. Congress.
Skies will be partly sunny as the pope travels to New York City on Thursday afternoon from Joint Base Andrews.

New York City, Sept. 24-25

Flying to John F. Kennedy airport, the pope shouldn’t have to deal with any travel-delaying weather on Thursday afternoon as he journeys to New York City. Upon arrival, Pope Francis will travel to St. Patrick’s Cathedral for an evening prayer.

For his only full day in the city, Pope Francis will meet with the United Nations General Assembly on Friday morning, where he is expected to discuss his stance on climate change.

High pressure should keep the region dry Thursday and Friday as some clouds filter overhead, Pydynowski said.

Pope Francis will tour the 9/11 Memorial and Museum following the U.N. meeting, before heading to Our Lady Queen of Angels School in East Harlem.

“Temperatures should rise into the middle to upper 70s on Friday, which might make conditions uncomfortably warm for those packed together,” Pydynowski said.
AccuWeather RealFeelยฎs are expected to hit into the low to middle 80s.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said 80,000 New Yorkers will attend the pope’s procession through Central Park on Friday afternoon.

In order to accommodate the influx of travelers in the city, de Blasio also said there will be an increased number of trains and buses running during the pope’s visit. Still, riders are encouraged to allow plenty of time for travel.

Pope Francis will wrap up his time in New York with a mass at Madison Square Garden on Friday evening. Tickets for the mass were highly coveted, and city officials encourage those without tickets to avoid the area.

Philadelphia, Sept. 26-27

The pope will return to JFK on Saturday morning to fly to his last U.S. city, Philadelphia. The City of Brotherly Love will host the most public appearances and events on Pope Francis’ U.S. tour.

After flying into Philadelphia International Airport at approximately 9:30 a.m. EDT, the pope will conduct mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul.
The weather should initially make for easy air travel for the pope as he arrives in Philadelphia. However, rain is forecast to move into the city by Sunday.

“The Atlantic storm may produce windswept rain as far west as Philadelphia,” Sosnowski said.

After taking a visit to Independence Hall at 4:45 p.m. EDT, the pope will travel to the Festival of Families at Benjamin Franklin Parkway and hold a Prayer Vigil with World Meeting of Families (WMOF) at 7:30 p.m. EDT.

The WMOF is the world’s largest meeting of Catholic Families, held once every three years. Hundreds of thousands are expected to be in attendance as Philadelphia celebrates Francis Festival. Philadelphia is offering areas for both ticket holders and non-ticket holders.

Temperatures will rise into the lower 70s F on Saturday, which is a tad above normal for this time of year.

While dry conditions on Saturday will not inhibit any travel, the city has limited public transportation use to special pass holders only.

Conditions may take a turn on Sunday as a system in the Atlantic moves up the East coast. Temperatures will fall into the 60s if the system pushes as far north as Philadelphia.

Reinforcing cool air will hold strong over the area during the pope’s visit, making for more comfortable conditions for people packed together on city streets.
Following meetings with Bishops at St. Martin’s Chapel, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary on Sunday morning, the pope will visit the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility north of Center City.

Pope Francis will say mass on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 4 p.m. EDT Sunday after a papal parade. The pope will ride up and down the Ben Franklin Parkway and around City Hall as part of the papal parade.

After the mass, the pope’s final appearance will be with organizers, volunteers and benefactors of the WMOF at Atlantic Aviation.

However, there is a chance of rain for his appearances on Sunday.

For his scheduled 8 p.m. EDT departure to Rome on Sunday, unsettled conditions could cause delays out of Philadelphia. For his arrival in Rome, a storm might form in southern Italy.

About the author

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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