Philadelphia Weather: Dry, Mild Saturday On Tap As Another Storm System Enters Region
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A sloppy start to the New Year across the area wasn't the best way to ring in the first day of 2021, but at least we will get pretty comfortable Saturday before another system enters the region and leads to another messy day for the end of the holiday weekend.
The biggest thing about Saturday will be the rapid rise in temperatures during the day.
The afternoon is going to be mild by January standards. Highs today will climb into the middle 50s in the city. Saturday night should remain dry as clouds begin to thicken up again and some cold air starts to spill into the region as well. Lows will fall down into the mid-30s.
Sunday will be a bit of a mess for the whole area. Much like Friday's system, the rain will move in from Southwest to Northeast.
We could see rain showers in Delaware, Southwest New Jersey and possibly even Philly by 6-7 a.m. Precipitation will overspread the whole region as the morning progresses.
For many it will just be plain rain, however, there is a chance for some wintry mix to happen in communities north and northwest of Philadelphia. It will all depend on how much cold air arrives overnight and how two pieces of energy will interact that move past the region.
Right now, it looks like conditions will be too warm in Philadelphia and along I-95 for any mix or snow to fall, so in Philly, South Jersey and Delaware this should just be a rain event. Parts of South Jersey could see as much as one inch of rain.
As for the wintry precipitation, it will be very dependent on the cold air as stated above.
As of right now, it looks as though the greatest threat for any kind of winter precipitation will be from the Lehigh Valley and into the Poconos.
However, there is a chance for some freezing rain or sleet to develop in upper parts of Bucks or Montgomery County at the onset of the event before switching over to all rain as warmer air creeps in.
As for the I-78 corridor and north, the threat for a mix is greatest, likely starting out with sleet, snow or freezing rain, with a brief change to all rain or a rain/freezing rain mix then a final change back to a rain/snow mix or all snow is then likely to occur.
The system will eventually pull off to the north and exit the area in the overnight hours with most if not all the precipitation wrapping up around midnight.
When it comes to snow/sleet totals a quick coating of two inches is possible in the Lehigh Valley with between two and inches possible in the Poconos with an isolated spot that could see up to five inches.
After the system exits on Sunday night a prolonged stretch of quiet weather is in store for the workweek with most days looking at a mix of sun and clouds and temperatures in the middle 40s.
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