We are in for a wild, weather ride over the next three days. We'll go from rain Tuesday to near record warmth Wednesday to accumulating snow for Thursday morning!
Let's start with Tuesday, you'll need your umbrella, but not the winter coat. Rain -- and only rain -- moved through in the morning and early afternoon. By mid-afternoon, though, we'll be drying out and warming up. Tuesday will likely fall short of the record-high temperature of 67 degrees for this date, set in 2008.
However, Wednesday, record warmth is much more likely as temperatures take off ahead of an approaching cold front. Record readings are most likely in Philadelphia, Trenton and Wilmington. For Philadelphia, it's a record that's been on the books since 1925.
The warm-up won't last long Wednesday, because a strong cold front will sweep through around midday, shifting the winds to the northwest and driving much colder air in for Thursday and Friday.
Then as the temperatures drop late Wednesday night and into Thursday morning, a quick-moving system will arrive. At first, ground temperatures will be above freezing, but above ground, it will be cold enough for snow. So for a period early Thursday, snow will fall and melt on the warmer ground. Eventually, the ground will get cold enough for snow to accumulate, first on the grass, then colder surfaces like cars and sidewalks and then roads.
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Computer forecast models agree that we will likely see snow for the morning commute Thursday, but still disagree about the track and timing of this snow-making system. Both will impact how much snow falls.
The NBC10 First Alert Weather Team will keep tracking the storm so stay tuned!
The NBC10 First Alert Weather Team's forecasts are the most accurate in the Philadelphia area, says WeatherRate.com. The team brings 80 years of combined forecasting skill to NBC10 viewers.
