Saturday morning forecast

Synopsis:

 

A few areas of low pressure will pass to our north today and tomorrow, giving northern and western areas of Pennsylvania some snow for today, and a mix of snow and rain for tomorrow. It will be all rain farther south (around Pittsburgh) during the day Sunday. A cold front will swing through on Monday, giving another chance of mixed precipitation or snow. However, once these systems move out, there will be considerable sunshine for most regions of Pennsylvania for the rest of the week, with warmer readings starting on Wednesday. It will be quite mild by the very end of next week, with many places getting into the 50s and even 60s.

 

Short-term:

 

We have one area of low pressure moving through this morning, which is giving areas of northern and western Pennsylvania a bit of snow. This will end by the middle of the afternoon, however. Tonight, there will be another band of moisture moving through, but it won't be as much as the one we are seeing this morning. The flow of winds will turn from westerly to southwesterly, and this will provide warm-air advection across the state for tomorrow. Also, heights will be increasing. The 540 mb. height line will move through the state tomorrow. Thus, any precipitation we see could be anything from snow in the extreme northern mountains, to a mix, to just plain rain. On Monday, a cold front will move through Pennsylvania, giving western parts of the state another chance of some precipitation. It will probably start off as a mix or just rain early, but change to snow after the front moves through. The winds will be from the west to northwest. The 6Z GFS model has the front moving through Pennsylvania around late morning on Monday, and the 6Z WRF model shows it moving through Pennylvania during the early to mid-afternoon. Depending on the timing of the passage of the front, there could be a longer period of rain or wintry mix, and less snow, or vice versa.

 

Long-term:

 

Once the cold front clears out on Monday, we will see nice conditions for the rest of the week. There will be a west to northwesterly flow in the winds on Tuesday, which will keep the temperatures down. However, those winds will quickly shift to a southwesterly direction, and stay that way through the remainder of the week. Heights will be increasing again, with the 540 mb. height line moving through on Wednesday. We will see some clouds passing through on Wednesday, but there should not be any precipitation with those clouds. Temperatures will begin a steady march upward by midweek, reaching into the 50s and 60s by Friday. Overall, the persistent blocking pattern that has kept us entrenched in cold most of this winter will finally be letting up this upcoming week.