TODAY: Turning out mostly sunny but cold. High: 32
TONIGHT: Mostly clear and very cold. Low: 7
SATURDAY: Sunshine giving way to clouds, remaining cold. High: 32 Low: 24
Our first winter storm of the season is in the books, with no surprises as an expected 8 to 12 inches of snow fell through much of the area, from the Lehigh Valley through Berks County and northwestern New Jersey. Parts of the Poconos picked up a little more than a foot, with up to 15” in the higher elevations, while snow totals dropped to the 4 to 8 inch range farther south towards the Delaware Valley, due to more mixing with sleet and rain.
Now it’s the calm after the storm, with cold and dry weather through the start of the weekend. Expect skies to turn out mostly sunny today, and sunshine giving way to some clouds Saturday, as high pressure builds in and crests overhead bringing with it light winds. Of course, with clearer skies, light winds, and a deep and fresh snowpack, expect a bitterly cold Friday night as many locations dip down into the single digits for the first time this season. Even with the sunshine the next few days, temperatures struggle to do much better than the freezing mark (32 degrees) for afternoon highs.
The cold eases a little bit later in the weekend and early next week as highs trend back closer to 40 degrees, but we’ll have to watch for some light rain and snow showers as a few weather disturbances ripple along in a fast moving pattern. However, there’s no more big storms in the immediate future.
But be aware that a pretty big shot of arctic air may arrive just in time for Christmas later next week.
DETAILED FORECAST
TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY
A broad area of high pressure centered to our west will gradually build overhead today scouring out clouds this morning that were left over from a weak upper level disturbance last night. Skies will turn out mostly sunny today and winds will be light, however temperatures will remain cold. Look for highs to only climb up to around freezing.
Thanks to high pressure overhead tonight along with mostly clear skies, light winds, and snowpack, overnight lows will really crash. We expect widespread single digits in many locations and it’s not entirely out of the realms of possibilities that the typical colder spots in the Poconos and far northwestern New Jersey dip below 0 degrees.
High pressure will remain overhead for Saturday leading to a dry start to the weekend with plenty of sunshine to start followed by some increasing high clouds from our west during the afternoon. Once again, afternoon highs will only climb up to around freezing.
Fortunately, winds will remain light so wind chill values won’t be much different from the actual air temperature. Those increasing high clouds we mentioned during the afternoon Saturday are due to an approaching weak cold front from our west which may touch off a snow shower late Saturday night, mainly well north and west of the Lehigh Valley.
SUNDAY
Expect mostly cloudy skies for the end of the weekend, and a couple of rain or snow showers possible, as the first of two disturbances slides through late in the weekend. Only some nuisance raindrops and snowflakes are possible, nothing that should have an impact on any travel or outdoor plans. Highs Sunday are expected to get a little warmer climbing back into the upper 30s.
EARLY NEXT WEEK
A second and possibly slightly stronger disturbance slides through late Monday into early Tuesday, with some light rain and snow showers possible centered on Monday night. Even though there could be more coverage of rain and snow showers, again little impact is expected.
Highs through the first half of the week should be more seasonable near or just above 40 degrees. We look to turn milder by Christmas Eve, perhaps approaching the 50 degree mark, then turn bitterly cold again just in time for Christmas Day.
TRACK THE WEATHER:
The Link LonkDecember 18, 2020 at 05:00PM
https://www.wfmz.com/weather/very-cold-but-dry-into-the-start-of-the-weekend/article_cbb7803c-4119-11eb-8fc0-db0523a3e1c0.html
Very cold, but dry, into the start of the weekend - WFMZ Allentown
https://news.google.com/search?q=dry&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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