Northeast To See Blast of Arctic Air, Possible Snow
PHILADELPHIA (CBS)--It may have felt like spring today, and will again tomorrow, but Friday morning will be the pivot point as we head back into a very wintry pattern--and this pattern will last at least into the middle of next week!
Thursday is another mild and windy day with temperatures in the 60's. But late Thursday night, a clipper will track across the area, coinciding with a push of cold air from the north.
The arrival of the cold and the timing of the storm during the cold overnight hours means this may be mostly snow for much of our area.
The problem? It's been so warm.
Soil temps are warm and the roads are warm. So it's going to be tough to get this snow to really accumulate quickly.
IMPACTS:
It's likely that around the city, we'll see not much more than a grassy coating in spots, with the roads staying wet.
As you head up into the higher elevations of the Poconos and the Lehigh Valley, it may be cold enough to see 1-3" of snow, possibly with some higher amounts in the mountain tops.
TIMING
The bigger problem will be timing. It will likely be snowing at a pretty good clip during the morning commute, and even if the snow doesn't stick, it will lead to reduced visibility on area roads.
Snow squalls may persist into the afternoon and early evening hours, so it's possible the evening commute could also see some impacts.
Over the weekend we really tap into arctic air once again. This air mass is pulled directly from the Polar Regions and northern Canada, and temperatures on Saturday may struggle to even hit the freezing mark.
The below-average cold will persist into Sunday and Monday, and then all eyes will shift to our next potential threat --a coastal low that may impact the area next Tuesday.
It's still far too soon to judge any potential impacts or whether this will indeed pose a major threat to our region, but the signals are there that a snowstorm is possible along the eastern seaboard. Another one to monitor as we head through the weekend!
