Weather: Clipper System Heading Our Way
By Geoff Bansen
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- A winter weather advisory is set to go into effect late morning through 10pm tonight, for Philadelphia and adjacent counties, southern New Jersey, and Delaware.
Let's get right down to it. An Alberta Clipper system is progressing in our direction, and will soon be here. After actually seeing the sunrise in a few places this morning, clouds are moving in from the west.
Snowfall will begin to encroach on the western most areas of the region by the early afternoon and spread eastward from there. This snow is going to directly impact the evening rush hour commute, despite the relatively small amounts we expect.
The latest totals are a general 1-3" for much of the Delaware Valley. As we talked about yesterday, southern locations had a chance to get in on some heavier precipitation, which would result in higher totals if cold enough. Areas to the south and east could see up to 4" in spots. We still expect shore locations to see some brief mixing. Depending on how significantly the rain mixes in, snow totals could be hampered along the immediate coast.
Driving will be treacherous during the late afternoon and early evening hours. Although road crews will be out in full force, not all roads will be treated or pre-treated right away; caution is still a must.
The storm begins to pull away tonight and should wrap up before midnight. Remaining slick spots could also make for some icy conditions overnight and into tomorrow morning as the temperatures will drop below freezing.
Then, we're in the clear! For now...some sun returns on Thursday and will be in abundance on Friday, but we are tracking the potential for rain and snow on Saturday - this time with heavier precipitation. After another quick break on Sunday, yet another snow chance is in the works by the beginning of next week.