Philadelphia public schools and Catholic elementary schools closed early for a second day.

Troy Pierce, a contractor pouring concrete in Center City Philadelphia on Tuesday afternoon, said he'd been working in the sun since 7 a.m. and it had been "unbearable."

"I drank two gallons of water and never had to go to the bathroom," Pierce said.

The National Weather Service kept an excessive heat warning in effect until 8 p.m.

Forecasters issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the area as the storms approached with a cold front moving from west to east. Across the state, the storms brought a break from the oppressive heat and humidity.

"For now, the worst is over," said Rob Radzanowski, a forecaster for the National Weather Service in State College. "Of course, it's only mid-June."