Philadelphia Weather: Complex Winter Storm Delivers Mixed Bag Of Rain, Snow Saturday
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Our weather whiplash will continue over the weekend as a large winter storm arrives Saturday followed by a cold blast on Sunday. Saturday morning temperatures will start in the 40s and climb to the low 50s as the storm crosses our area.
The center of the current track will be the I-95 corridor with periods of heavy rain spreading across the area. The storm will rapidly strengthen and winds will increase through the morning.
By late morning, very cold air will wrap around the backside of the storm and rain will rapidly transition to wet snow in the Lehigh Valley and Poconos.
There is a possibility that Winter Weather Advisories may be issued for accumulating snow with 3-6 inches likely in the Poconos, and a coating to 3 inches possible for parts of the Lehigh Valley.
That very cold air arrives later in the afternoon with a change to wet snow or a rain/snow mix for the Pennsylvania suburbs, I-95 corridor, northern Delaware, and the nearby South Jersey suburbs.
Little or no accumulation is expected in these areas since the surface will still be warm from earlier in the day. The snow will melt or change to rain just above or upon hitting the surface.
There will be all rain for communities closer to the Jersey Shore and the southern half of Delaware.
Umbrellas are a must on Saturday as rainfall totals will range from ¾-1 inch across the area with some bands of rain producing up to 2 inches of rain.
After the storm exits our area Saturday evening between around 2 p.m., it will rapidly intensify as the pressure drops. Bombogenesis is possible with high snowfall rates as the storm heads northeast to New England.
Winter Storm Watches for heavy snow are already posted for north-central Pennsylvania, western New York and interior New England.
Behind the storm on Saturday night and Sunday morning, the winds turn northwest and increase with gusts above 35 mph. Wind Advisories may be issued for even higher gusts across the area.
All the winter gear is needed on Sunday. Skies will be partly to mostly sunny on Sunday but it will be frigid at times with morning lows in the teens and 20s and highs only in the mid-30s to near 40.
Wind chills will be in the teens and 20s most of the days.
