Weather: Spring Arrives Friday, But A Winter Storm Looms On The Horizon
By Steven Strouss
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Let's look on the bright side. Spring arrives on Friday!
But yes, a Winter Storm looms on the horizon. Low pressure currently over the Mississippi Valley will slide east and deepen off the coast on Friday. Meanwhile, cold air will be in place and temperatures Friday morning will be below freezing. Although no Advisories or Watches have been posted at this time, there is high confidence that this will impact our region with wet snow and rain.
What you need to know:
Timing:
Snow is expected to begin from south to north after daybreak on Friday. As temperatures rise, snow will changeover to rain, during the afternoon. The changeover will occur through Philadelphia but precipitation will fall as mainly snow in the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos.
Best time to see the first flakes is between 7AM-9AM. The steadiest snow will fall between 9AM-1PM but by 1PM warmer air works in and changes snow to rain in the city including points south and east. It lasts all day Friday and rain/snow end by 7PM.
Precip Type:
In short, we're expecting mainly wet snow for the northwest half of the Delaware Valley. However, rain will mix in through the afternoon hours from I-95 on southeast toward the coast.
Amounts:
Forecast amounts will range from less than an inch, on grassy surfaces, across southern NJ and Delaware to 1-2" in the city and suburbs. 2-4" is expected across the far NW suburbs and Lehigh Valley. This storm will be elevation dependent and the Poconos may receive up to 6".
Impacts:
Travel Friday will be affected. In the morning, snow begins but will likely melt on treated surfaces so roads will be mainly wet. When snow becomes steady later in the morning, before the changeover, untreated roads could become slushy in the city and slick farther north. Snow covered roads are possible in the Poconos but roads will be just wet across Southern NJ and DE.
