New Winter Storm Poses Same Flood, Wind, Outage Threats To PA

PENNSYLVANIA - Another winter storm is set to hit Pennsylvania this week, this time bringing up to two inches of rain, damaging winds and a chance of flooding due to the snow melt and saturated ground from this week’s earlier storms.

The heaviest rain is expected in northeast Pennsylvania Friday night through Saturday morning, with precipitation to begin around the late afternoon, the National Weather Service said. The risk of river flooding will continue through the weekend.

Up to three inches of snow is expected across the western highlands and central mountains into Friday evening; flooding is possible, especially in the Lower Susquehanna Valley tributaries.

“Additional urban and small stream flooding is possible, though is unlikely to be as widespread or severe as the outgoing storm,” the agency said.

In southeast Pennsylvania, forecasters expect wind gusts as high as 60 mph Friday night that could cause tree damage and power outages, especially in towns closer to Philadelphia, the National Weather Service said. The greatest chance for moderate coastal flooding will be along the Delaware River.

A coastal flood watch is in effect from Friday night to Saturday evening in Delaware, Philadelphia and Bucks counties.

“If travel is required, allow extra time as some roads may be closed,” the National Weather Service said. “Do not drive around barricades or through water of unknown depth. Take the necessary actions to protect flood-prone property.”

If the added precipitation wasn't enough, the Keystone State is also set to be hit with an arctic blast Sunday with high temperatures around 38 degrees and lows near 23 degrees Fahrenheit, AccuWeather said. The blast will last through mid-next week, with a snow and/or ice threat affecting the northeast from Jan. 14 to 17.

A potential storm Monday into Tuesday could finally bring a "possible snap in the snow drought from Washington, D.C., to Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York City," AccuWeather said.

Here’s the latest forecast, according to the National Weather Service:

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 46. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 32. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west after midnight.

Friday: A chance of rain after 5 p.m. Increasing clouds, with a high near 46. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Friday Night: Rain. Low around 44. Breezy, with a southeast wind 15 to 20 mph increasing to 20 to 25 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Saturday: A slight chance of rain before 1 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 55. Breezy, with a west wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 30.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 41.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23.