Arctic Chill Followed By Another Round Of Weekend Snow

By Katie Fehlinger

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The reinforcements have come in from Canada! The Thursday morning commute was accompanied by a few renegade snow showers through the northern counties in the Delaware Valley, all courtesy of a supplemental cold front.

Thursday, therefore is the coldest day of the next seven! The thermometer will struggle to even hit the freezing mark, and even just the modest northwesterly wind (no stronger than 15 mph) means the air feels no warmer than the teens throughout the day.

*Important note for Pocono residents*: wind chills may become dangerously cold, as low as zero degrees. Be sure to bundle up adequately if you must go outside.

The Next Storm:

It's been an active month! More than half the U.S. is currently covered in snow as of December 12th (compared to just 30.8% coverage on this date in 2012). A new storm will add more to the total Friday and Saturday from Missouri to Ohio.

But what does it mean for us?

The model guidance remains in pretty good agreement on timing, but the type of precipitation is still somewhat up in the air. It still appears the freezing line will set up over our area with marginal temperatures near, just above or below freezing through the entire event. So, we still expect a mixed bag of snow, sleet, and rain.

My latest thinking:

- The storm begins with snow as early as late Saturday morning. It likely continues to snow lightly through most of the day and evening. (Initially, I'm thinking a general 1-3" since the system should weaken somewhat as it heads our way.)

- The changeover from snow to sleet and/or rain begins to creep in from south to north Saturday night into pre-dawn hours of Sunday.

- We may still have a wintry mix or chilly rain early Sunday morning before the storm pulls away. (Any sleet or rain would also keep overall snowfall totals more modest.)

We'll keep you updated as the storm evolves and we get closer to its arrival. In the meantime, stay warm!

Katie