Abnormally dry air descends on region, creating winter-like dry skin

PHILADELPHIA - Are your hands and lips getting chapped? Were you drinking more water than usual Wednesday?

It turns out you're not alone. The air is abnormally dry.

Dewpoints are a way to measure how dry the air is, and dewpoints were in the 20s Wednesday. That is super low, and usually we don't see dewpoints that low until winter.

While the air won’t be as dry Thursday, the super dry air comes right back for the weekend. So, have the lip balm and the moisturizer handy all weekend.

It's also chilly this weekend, about 10 degrees colder than average.

Dry air and cold air come hand-in-hand. Really dry air is to our north, and our airflow will come down from the north this weekend, which will bring down more really dry air.

You don't have issues with dry air in the summer because warmer air is often moist air.

Some tips from dermatologists to diminish the uncomfortable sensation of dry hands include:

• Switch from lotion to a cream moisturizer
• Use less drying soaps
• Seek fragrance-free products