Rain, Possible Snow And A Lunar Eclipse Moving In
By Justin Drabick
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Today is the 4th day in a row of 70 degrees or higher, the first time since early October 2013.
We have a few more hours left of the warm temperatures before the change arrives. A strong cold front currently in the Midwest will slowly track eastward tonight. It will remain breezy and mild with showers arriving after midnight. The showers will continue Tuesday morning and possibly be heavy late in the afternoon as the cold front passes. There will also be a chance of a thunderstorm with gusty winds and heavy rain. Overall rainfall amounts could exceed 1", especially if any downpours occur.
Behind the front, a wind switch to the northwest will usher in colder temperatures Tuesday night. As the cold air meets up with the remaining moisture, the showers could end as a brief period of wet snow late Tuesday night, mainly in the Poconos and Lehigh Valley. Little or no accumulation is expected as ground temperatures will be too warm.
High pressure returns to the region on Wednesday bringing mostly sunny skies. The cold Canadian air mass will settle in the middle of the week with high temperatures well below average in the lower 50s.
Unfortunately, the clouds and showers tonight from the upcoming storm will impact viewing conditions for tonight's Blood Moon. A lunar eclipse will occur early Tuesday morning at 3:06 a.m. This is when the moon passes through the Earth's shadow and occurs when the sun, Earth, and moon are aligned. The name "Blood Moon" comes from the color of the moon during the eclipse. This is due to the Earth's shadow being red due to the dust particles in the atmosphere, so the moon will take on a reddish color. The more dust particles in the atmosphere, the more red the moon will look.
If you are unable to see tonight's Blood Moon because of the cloud cover, don't worry. There will be three more in the next year and a half, with the next one on October 8th.
