By Kle Imhoff
Old Man Winter has not left the building just yet!
While much of the Spring thus far has been on the chilly side, a major cold outbreak will bring some locations close to record cold temperatures for this time of year and even some snowflakes to parts of the state.
A persistent, and deepening, long-wave trough over the eastern United States will be the primary driver of a series of disturbances and very cold weather over the next five to seven days. A series of disturbances will begin to work their way through the state starting on Wednesday. A fast-moving low moving through the southern Mid-Atlantic will bring scattered rain showers, with some snow mixing in over the higher terrain of northern and western PA, on Wednesday. By Thursday morning, low temperatures will drop below freezing across parts of northern PA. In fact, nighttime lows in this area will approach the freezing mark most mornings through early next week. Thursday afternoon will be milder, with highs in the 50s and 60s as another disturbance cuts across New England. A few rain/snow showers will develop in the northern half of the state Thursday afternoon and evening. Friday will bring the best chance for more widespread precipitation to the state as a low moves northeastward through the region. While many areas will remain rain during the day, snow may mix in after sunset, especially across the higher terrain of the north and west. Following the low, very cold air will arrive in the Northeast. Temperatures Saturday morning will be below freezing for most of the state, with the exception of potentially the far southeast near Philadelphia. Some places may drop into the low to mid 20s. This will create widespread frost and freeze issues for almost the entirety of the state. With breezy conditions and afternoon high temperature struggling to reach the 40s, Saturday will feel more like the middle of winter than the middle of Spring. Sunday morning, temperatures will again drop below freezing across much of the state before another disturbance brings more rain/snow showers during the day on Sunday. Early next week, high pressure will attempt to build into the eastern United States as temperatures slowly moderate but will remain well below normal levels.
Long-range model guidance still favors cooler than normal temperatures through the end of the month. The models also predict a trend from seasonal to a bit wetter than usual weather as the month progresses.
Source : psu.edu