Philadelphia expects a major snowstorm over the weekend with snow, sleet and heavy rain
A major storm is expected in Philadelphia, starting Saturday with snow and sleet followed by heavy rain.
The city’s decision to stick with the Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl celebration schedule appears to have been smart, as a significant storm is set to hit this weekend. Starting Saturday afternoon, the Philadelphia area will experience a mix of snow and ice, giving way to heavy rain. This storm could bring some of the heaviest precipitation the region has seen in weeks, making it an event to keep a close eye on as the weekend progresses.
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When will the snow hit Philadelphia over the weekend?
According to the weather service, snow and sleet are expected to move in by early to mid-afternoon on Saturday and might even accumulate to an inch or two north and west of the city. This will be followed by freezing rain and then heavy rain that will fall into Sunday. Ray Martin, a lead meteorologist at the weather service office in Mount Holly warned that the biggest threat to the city would be the sleet.
He explained that any snow that will hit the city ground in the afternoon will likely surrender to the February Sun. As the temperatures rise, the chances of a glaze of freezing rain are less. Sleet, which occurs when refrozen precipitation lands as ice instead of freezing upon contact like icy rain, is expected to accumulate more easily in the city than snow, which is likely to melt.
By Saturday night, precipitation will transition to all rain and continue into Sunday, with temperatures reaching nearly 60 degrees. The region could receive over 1.5 inches of rain, marking the heaviest precipitation so far this year, as the area continues to grapple with drought conditions. Once the rain clears, much colder temperatures are set to arrive early next week, as reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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Snow threat on Wednesday
The European computer model is predicting a major snowstorm, but Martin warns it is not a certainty yet. The weather service is giving a 60% chance of snow Wednesday night into Thursday, though predicting the weather this far out can be tricky. If the storm does happen, it would be a big change from the winter so far, which has seen just 8 inches of snow across eight snow events—about half of what is normal for this time of year.
About a major storm, he explained, “it seems like it’s been forever since it happened.” However, in this case, he added, “the potential is there.”