Pittsburgh Weather: First of two big weather systems arriving tomorrow
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Tomorrow has been declared a First Alert Weather Day due to strong winds and plenty of rain.
Aware: Wind advisories and High Wind Warnings are up for Tuesday
Today will be seasonal for the afternoon. Skies will see some breaks in the clouds and I am going to call it partly cloudy for the day overall. Highs will be in the mid to upper 30s with morning lows dipping to around 30 degrees. Today will be dry.
Now that we have today out of the way let's talk about what's heading our way as we have two major systems that are expected to impact us over the next week. The first system's rain will arrive just after midnight tonight with mostly rain sweeping through along a warm front. Rain showers will continue for most of the day, with strong winds expected.
Wind advisories and even high wind warnings are now posted for parts of our area for Tuesday. High wind warnings are the more serious warning being issued. They're only issued when wind gusts are expected to top 55 mph. The NWS is calling for winds topping 60 mph on Tuesday for higher elevations. The wind advisory is issued when wind gusts are expected to top 40mph. The NWS calls for winds stronger than 50mph for places along the I-80 corridor. Even if you are not in one of the advisory or warning areas still expect strong winds. Please take some time today to walk your yards to check to make sure nothing is out that can blow away. Today would be a good day to take down any extra Christmas decorations, especially any inflatables you have.
Winds will push daily highs up into the 50s on Tuesday before we see a temperature crash Wednesday morning. Morning snow showers should pose a minor inconvenience for morning commuters. Road temperatures should be too warm for widespread icy conditions but potential issues will be possible. Look for areas that are elevated and up along I-80 to have the best chance for icy conditions on Wednesday morning.
Looking at the rest of the week, highs will remain above average on Thursday and Friday with another major winter storm system rolling through on Saturday and Sunday. Temperatures will be seasonal on Saturday and below average on Sunday. Conditions up in Buffalo could be pretty nasty for the Steelers playoff game.