WEATHER BLOG: Mild Sunday...Snow Monday
By Justin Drabick
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - This weekend felt like Spring with sunshine and high temperatures reaching the upper 40s on Saturday. The mild air mass remains in place for one more day with highs again in the upper 40s to near 50 on Sunday.
Then, an active weather pattern returns for three storms setting up to impact the region this week.
A cold front will move through Sunday, allowing for low pressure to move in from the southwest and cut across the northern Mid-Atlantic on Monday. This will bring another round of snow to the Delaware Valley and temperatures drop into the 30s behind the front. A Winter Storm Watch is in effect for Philadelphia and surrounding PA, NJ and DE suburbs from Monday AM to Monday Afternoon.
TIMING: Expect the snow to begin as early as 3 a.m. Monday morning, possibly starting as rain initially. Snow will continue through the morning and come to an end by mid-afternoon. The morning commute would be impacted with improving conditions for the evening commute.
AMOUNTS: As of now, 3-6" of snow is possible with lower amounts in southern NJ & DE and in the Lehigh Valley and Poconos. Exact amounts could change as we get closer to the event due to the storm track and temperatures. Temperatures will be in the lower 30s Monday morning so this will be a heavier wet snow, compared to the lighter, fluffy, dry snow we had in the past several weeks.
Another storm will approach from the southwest late Tuesday night that could bring a mixture of snow, ice and rain initially, especially north and west of Philadelphia, before changing to all rain on Wednesday as temperatures rise into the 40s.
A third storm may impact us sometime next weekend. As of now, the storm is looking more similar to Wednesday's storm, starting as a snow, ice and rain then changing to rain as temperatures warm. This storm is a week away so changes in the timing and precipitation type will change over the next several days. Keep checking back the forecast for the latest.
Justin Drabick