WEATHER: Sudden Weekend Cold Will Be A Shock To Our Systems
By Steven Strouss
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- By the time Sunday rolls around, we will be experiencing our coldest temperatures of the season. Temperatures soared to near 70 degrees on Friday under sunshine and Saturday will be mild too but by Sunday, highs will struggle to get out of the 40s.
A potent cold front will blast through the region overnight Saturday and will knock temperatures down by as much as 30 degrees. We will quickly go from short sleeves to sweaters and the cold will be escorted in by some harsh winds gusting up to 40 mph. Wind Chills Sunday morning will be in the 20s in most locations and only in the 30s during the afternoon.
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The CBS3 Weather team aired our Winter Forecast last week and we are forecasting between 24-30" of snow with January being the coldest month. With that in mind, the event this weekend will be a shock to the system, but it will not likely be the tamest of the Winter.
In addition to crashing temperatures, this system will also pack enough of a punch to produce snowflakes late Saturday night into Sunday morning. Some areas, especially North and West of the city will see wet snow and perhaps some light accumulation on grassy surfaces. Best chance for snowfall will be in the Poconos or specifically, Carbon and Monroe Counties but we cannot rule out wet snowflakes even our suburbs or in the city.
Most computer guidance suggests that no part of the northern zones receives anything more than an inch but remember that even a minor amount of precipitation can produce slick roadways, so always take it easy on the gas pedal if you are traveling through the Lehigh Valley or Poconos.
The front responsible for this change is currently pushing through upper Great Lakes and snow is falling now across much of Minnesota and northern Wisconsin. Ahead of the front, warm air has pushed up from the south and sent temps skyrocketing from Atlanta to Maine to values that are 10-15 degrees above average. The deep clash between the Canadian cold air moving in from the Northwest this weekend and the warm air out ahead of it could create brief but intense showers overnight Saturday and perhaps a rumble of thunder. Once the cold takes control any remaining rain showers will change over to wet snow.
The cold and windy conditions will linger into Monday with highs once again only in the 40s. Tuesday and Wednesday will be dry and cool but by Thanksgiving Day some models hint at another system coming here and bringing showers. Temps Thanksgiving will be in the low 50s.
We will fine tune this as we get closer to the holiday but for now enjoy the weekend and if you haven't already done so, pull out your winter jackets.
