Philadelphia Weather: Timing Near-Record Cold And Maybe Even Some Snow

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Near-record cold was on hand as we started our weekend in the Delaware Valley. Temperatures were in the 20s early Saturday morning, close to the record of 23 degrees set back in the 1970s.

But if you think that sounds bad, buckle up. Even colder air is on the way next week and it may be preceded by the chance to see some snow.

Next week's system is definitely one to watch.

There will be two lows developing -- one across Canada and the Great Lakes and a secondary low across the South. If these two lows were to phase or join forces, off our coastline, it could be the recipe for an early-season snowstorm, and some of our models were hinting at this possibility a couple of days ago.

However, as we get closer to the event and begin to narrow down the chances, it's looking more and more like the two lows will either not phase or phase late, meaning the possibility for appreciable snow across our area looks minimal.

What we do know is that a strong cold front will blast across the region late Monday night into Tuesday.

This will be similar to the front on Thursday that ushered in this first cold blast. The only difference? The air behind it is even colder.

So as the cold air rushes in behind the rain, there is a better chance to see that rain briefly mix with, or even change over to snow.

The greatest likelihood to see a period of mixing or snow on Tuesday will be in Philly's northwest suburbs.

As of now, the timing for that would be mid-afternoon Tuesday, another limiting factor because that's when the sun is strongest and this would keep any possible accumulations low.

However, it's possible some spots north and west could pick up a dusting, with the possibility of more accumulations in the mountains. There is still the potential that this system could briefly strengthen and pack more of a punch, so we will be watching it closely.

Regardless of the precipitation type on Tuesday, we will be dealing with some brutal cold in the wake of that front. On Wednesday morning, we will drop into the low 20s, likely breaking the record of 24, and the high on Wednesday won't make it past the mid-30s.