Rain in Pittsburgh will change to snow midday with arctic chill settling in on Wednesday night
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Widespread showers are moving through the Laurel Highlands and Ridges early Wednesday morning. Most of this activity moves from southwest to northeast, so areas from Pittsburgh and points north and west will dry for the next several hours.
Temperatures are also very mild with most locations in the low to mid-40s.
WEATHER LINKS:
Current Conditions | School Closings & Delays | Submit Your Weather Photos
We expect precipitation to gradually increase in coverage by mid-late morning as a strong wave of low pressure aloft in the atmosphere moves in our direction. The cold front at the surface has already passed to our east, so temperatures will steadily drop through the day from the low 40s this morning into the low 30s by late afternoon and early evening.
Temperatures above the ground will become cold enough to support rain changing to and mixing with snow between roughly 10 a.m. and noon.
While we expect snow to fall, surface temperatures should remain above freezing, so accumulation should remain on grassy and elevated surfaces. Most locations west of the Ridges and Laurel Highlands will receive 1" or less, with 2-4" possible in the highest peaks of the Laurel Highlands and Ridges.
As temperatures drop below freezing tonight, most of the widespread precipitation will have exited our area. Scattered snow showers are expected to move in after midnight through around 5-6 a.m. on Thursday, but accumulations will be light and localized.
Winds will be gusty and with air temperatures dropping into the upper teens, wind chills will be in the lower single digits which will certainly not be comfortable, but above the level where frostbite would be a concern.
Thursday looks to remain cold with highs in the upper 20s with decreasing clouds. The cold air will linger through Friday before temperatures slowly start to rebound this weekend. Skies will be partly to mostly cloudy on Saturday ahead of our next disturbance which will bring some showers on Sunday.
Some snow may mix in for the Laurel Highlands and Ridges. Milder air will continue to move in behind Sunday's system with highs in the low 50s early next week.
Stay up to date with the KDKA Mobile App – which you can download here!
