Snow Possible Overnight In Eastern PA, Forecasters Warn

The winter storm approaching the greater Philadelphia area now looks as though it could bring some accumulating snow, depending on the precise track of the front and how cold it gets, according to forecasters.

As of Tuesday the storm had appeared to be bringing only rain to the region, and forecasters still believe it will arrive as rain Wednesday evening into early Thursday morning. But a blast of cold air could turn things to snow as the storm progresses.

"Winter will make a abrupt return tomorrow morning as a strong cold front sweeps offshore," the National Weather Service's Mt. Holly, New Jersey branch said in a statement. "A band of rain will change to snow for some areas before ending."

The city itself is expected to get between a dusting and half an inch of snow, with much of the outlying suburbs seeing about a 40 to 50 percent chance of accumulation, according to forecasters.

Still, accumulations are likely to be "light," and the areas most likely to see more snow stick are northwest of the I-95 corridor.

Even if the snow doesn't stick, the rapidly falling temperatures Thursday are likely to make for dangerous temperatures on the roads. The high Thursday will be 35 and will drop into the teens for much of the region by the evening. This could also lead to wet roads quickly freezing, creating dangerous conditions.

"Even without a blockbuster snowstorm for the Interstate-95 cities, there could still be impacts to travel across the region," Accuweather said.

Wind gusts rising to 30 to 35 miles per hour could also bring a single digit wind chill.

Here's the full forecast, according to the National Weather Service:

Today
Cloudy, with a high near 52. Southwest wind around 5 mph.

Tonight
Rain likely before 5 a.m., then a chance of rain and snow. Cloudy, with a low around 30. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Thursday
A slight chance of snow before 7 a.m., then a slight chance of snow showers between 7am and 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 35. Breezy, with a west wind 15 to 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

Thursday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 21. West wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Friday
Sunny, with a high near 34. West wind around 10 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.

Friday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29.

Saturday
A chance of rain and snow before 1 p.m., then a chance of rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 43. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent.

Saturday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 25.

Sunday
Partly sunny, with a high near 31.

Sunday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 20.

M.L.King Day
Mostly sunny, with a high near 32.

Monday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 19.

Tuesday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 27.