Weekend Storm Recap
By Kate Bilo
As the last of the snow pushes from west to east across our area, it's time to look back at how this rare October snowstorm performed across the region.
The storm intensified quickly and pulled in a lot of cold air at the onset, leading to a very rapid changeover from rain to snow. In fact, in some of our north and west suburbs, it was snowing by 9 a.m. or earlier! But as the storm ramped up offshore, it did begin to pull in some warmer air off the Atlantic Ocean, which led to mixing, sleet and even some sloppy rain, especially in the city and near suburbs. A break in the action around midday helped to keep snow totals around what we were expecting.
As discussed over the past few days, the areas that got the most out of this storm were the highest elevations, with some of the high mountains and hilltops in the Poconos boasting over a foot of snow! Across our area, spots in Berks County and the Lehigh Valley mainly checked in right within that 4-8" range we had forecasted, with cities like Allentown receiving over half a foot.
Closer to the city, the north and west suburbs received 2-3 inches of wet snow mixed with some sleet, and from the city into the Jersey suburbs, most unpaved areas clocked in with a slushy inch or so.
A quick cool-down behind the storm and strong gusty winds lead to the threat for dangerous icing across the region tonight. Watch for icy roads right through the first part of Sunday - stay inside if at all possible! Also, winds will continue to be strong especially though Sunday morning, which could bring down even more of those already weakened branches.
I do expect the threat for power outages to continue as tree branches continue to fall in the hardest-hit areas. Wind chills early Sunday morning will be in the teens and twenties and the snow cover will inhibit temperatures from rising much past the mid-40's, even at the height of the afternoon.
