WEATHER UPDATE: Speed Restrictions As Snow Blankets Region

The bad news: We’re about to get a lot of snow. The good news: At least it’s going to get warmer.

Snow started around 1 p.m. Saturday, the National Weather Service said. We could see up to 6 inches of snow before warmer air moves in and the precipitation changes to a wintry mix of snow, sleet and rain.

So far:

• There’s a 45-mph speed restriction on the New Jersey Turnpike in both directions from the Delaware Memorial Bridge to south of Exit 6, Pennsylvania Turnpike, in New Jersey.
• Winter weather on PA 309 northbound. The speed limit has been reduced to 45 miles per hour.
• Winter weather on I-76 westbound. The speed limit has been reduced to 45 miles per hour.
• Winter weather on US 1 northbound between Maryland state line and New Jersey State line. The speed limit has been reduced to 45 miles per hour.

And be prepared for potentially hazardous road conditions, the NWS said. “Where rain makes contact with very cold surfaces, ice buildup could occur.”

Expect about a tenth of an inch of ice, the NWS said.

See also:

• Bitter Cold Blamed for at Least 5 Deaths
• How to Keep Warm During the ‘Polar Plunge’
• How To Protect Your iPhone From The Cold This Winter
• How to Prevent and Deal With Frozen Pipes
• Power Outage? Here’s What to Do

A Winter Storm Watch is in effect from noon Saturday, Feb. 21, through 6 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 22.

“There is a potential for significant snow, sleet or ice accumulations that may impact travel,” the NWS said.

Temperatures during the day Saturday will be in the 20s, “gradually rising into the lower to mid-30s Saturday night into Sunday,” the NWS said. Highs on Sunday will be close to 40. It has felt like -20 with the wind chill for the past few days, which means that on Sunday it will feel a whopping 60 degrees warmer than it has been.

It won’t last, however. An arctic front will move into the region Sunday night, “bringing below-normal temperatures to the region for the beginning of the new week.”

Here’s the hour-by-hour forecast:

• Saturday: Snow. High near 29. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.
• Saturday night: Snow and sleet before 11 p.m., then rain, possibly mixed with snow. The rain and snow could be heavy at times. Temperature rising to around 36 by 1 a.m. South wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New snow and sleet accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.
• Sunday: A chance of rain and snow before 7 a.m., then a chance of rain between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 37. Northwest wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
• Sunday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 15. Northwest wind 9 to 13 mph.