Scattered showers and thunderstorms are in the forecast for part of festival week in Centre County before drier, cooler weather arrives for the one of the busiest weekends of the summer in downtown State College and the surrounding areas.
AccuWeather senior meteorologist Isaac Longley said Thursday and Friday — when the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, the People’s Choice Festival, Art in the Orchard at Way Fruit Farm and Philipsburg Heritage Days will be in full swing— carry the highest risk for interruptions from pop-up storms.
Wednesday should provide a mostly dry start to Arts Fest on Children & Youth Day with just a slight chance of an afternoon or evening shower.
“By no means is this going to be a complete washout,” he said. “I do think it is going to be mostly dry throughout the day. You can’t completely rule out a stray shower, but much of the day is going to be dry.”
He estimated only a 20% to 25% chance of a spotty shower Wednesday afternoon or evening. Temperatures are expected to reach around 79 to 80 degrees, close to average for early July, he said.
“As we head into Thursday and Friday, I do think that is likely going to be the wettest period of Arts Fest,” Longley said. “We do have a cold front moving into the region, and that’s going to bring the chance for some showers and thunderstorms starting Thursday.”.
Thursday’s forecast calls for increasing humidity, highs in the low 80s and scattered showers and thunderstorms developing as the cold front approaches. Longley said there should still be dry periods throughout the day.
“It’s going to be more of these hit-or-miss type thunderstorms that we’ve been dealing with,” he said. “We’ll see a mixture of clouds and sunshine, and it’s not going to be widespread rain. There will be breaks here and there, but there will be the chance for thunderstorms, along with the risk of lightning, downpours and gusty winds, can’t completely rule that out.”
The unsettled pattern is expected to continue Friday as another front crosses the region. Thunderstorms are most likely to develop during the afternoon, with the potential for heavy rain, lightning and isolated gusty winds. Temperatures will once again climb into the low 80s with intervals of sunshine between storms.
The forecast improves considerably by the weekend as high pressure builds over the region.
“The good news is heading into the weekend it is trending drier,” Longley said. “Saturday and Sunday are looking much better.”
Saturday will bring a mix of sun and clouds with temperatures easing back into the upper 70s behind Friday’s cold front. While a stray shower remains possible, Longley said forecast trends have continued to shift toward a drier day.
Sunday currently looks to offer the best weather of the festival.
“I think we are going to see a really good amount of sunshine for Sunday,” Longley said. “That’s probably going to be the best day out of Arts Fest, if I had to take a guess. Temperatures will be in the upper 70s with light winds overall.”
For those spending long hours outdoors, Longley recommends packing for changing conditions.
“Definitely have the rain gear handy,” he said. “Even though it’s not going to be raining 100% of the time, there is going to be that risk for showers and thunderstorms. All it takes is a few minutes where you can go from sunshine to a pop-up thunderstorm and end up completely soaked.”
He also encouraged visitors to stay hydrated despite temperatures remaining below the extreme heat experienced last week.
“We’re not dealing with the heat to the extent of what we saw last week, but it is going to be warm and humid,” Longley said. “Stay hydrated, be prepared and keep an eye on the forecast because those pop-up thunderstorms can develop quickly.”
The 2026 Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts runs Wednesday through Sunday in downtown State College and on Penn State’s University Park campus.
The People’s Choice Festival returns to the Pennsylvania Military Museum grounds in Boalsburg from Thursday through Sunday after taking place the last four years at the Grange Fairgrounds.
Heritage Days kicks off in full on Wednesday in Philipsburg and continues through Saturday.
Art in the Orchard marks its sixth year at Way Fruit Farm from Thursday through Saturday.
