Snow To Impact Peak Holiday Travel: Latest PA Forecast

At least an inch of snow and possibly significantly more will fall in the greater Philadelphia area on Friday, significantly impacting roads and airports just days after Christmas and still within the busiest window for peak travel.

The ultimate impacts of the storm remain “very uncertain,” the National Weather Service said, but confidence is high that there will be plowable snow.

Snow will begin at around 1 p.m., continuing throughout the day and into the day, with bouts of freezing rain and sleet possible as well, the National Weather Service said.

Forecasters say there is about a 50 percent chance of at least two inches of sleet and snow Friday.

“This fast-moving storm will pack a punch in the Northeast right after Christmas,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys said. “Holiday travelers should prepare for major slowdowns on roads and at airports.”

As the day wears on into night, the snow is expected to meld into freezing rain and rain, possibly trending more toward rain by 4 a.m. Sunday.

The storm will linger. However, by Sunday, there is greater certainty that the existing precipitation will fall as rain, with temperatures rising into the low 40s.

Rain is forecasted to continue falling Sunday into Sunday night, and its even possible it will continue for a time on Monday morning. The temperature will be straddling freezing in the evening hours, and much of the rain will fall as freezing rain or sleet. It won’t take much of a cooling down for that turn to snow, but forecasters are currently calling for it to be warm enough not to be.

Here’s the full forecast for the coming week, according to the National Weather Service:

Wednesday
Sunny, with a high near 45. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Wednesday Night
Increasing clouds, with a low around 29. Calm wind.

Christmas Day
A slight chance of rain and snow before 10 a.m., then a slight chance of rain between 10 an.m. and 1 p.m.Mostly cloudy, with a high near 46. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

Thursday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 24. North wind 5 to 10 mph.

Friday
Snow likely after 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 33. North wind around 5 mph becoming east in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible.

Friday Night
Snow, possibly mixed with freezing rain and sleet before 10 p.m., then snow, possibly mixed with freezing rain between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m., then rain, snow, and freezing rain after 4 a.m. Low around 27. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Saturday
Rain and freezing rain, possibly mixed with snow before 7 a.m., then a chance of rain and snow between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m.. High near 37. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent.

Saturday Night
Cloudy, with a low around 31.

Sunday
Rain likely, mainly after 1 p.m. Cloudy, with a high near 43. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent.

Sunday Night
Rain likely, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 30. Chance of precipitation is 70 by percent.

Monday
A chance of rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 38. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

Monday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 20.

Tuesday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 30.