Front arrives Thursday with cold air shot ahead of weekend system

Keeping tabs on weekend snow potential…

TONIGHT: Mostly Cloudy. Lo 32. Winds W 5 mph.

THURSDAY: Mostly Sunny, Breezy. Hi 41. Winds: NW 10-15 mph. Gusts to 30 mph.

FRIDAY: Partly Cloudy, Cold. Hi 35. Lo 31.

Another relatively mundane day Wednesday with seasonable temperatures and sunshine in the afternoon. Clouds will increase tonight as lows dip to around freezing. A cold front will push through on Thursday with just a few clouds and maybe a stray snow shower in the morning and afternoon. Meanwhile, we just miss another coastal storm to our south and southeast. It will make for a breezy day tomorrow too, with gusty northwesterly winds helping to usher in a shot of cold air that will (seemingly) set the stage for a developing weekend storm.

Colder air arrives Friday with mostly sunny skies and highs down into the 30s. By Friday night, lows will drop into the 20s, and that cold air will set the stage for a snowstorm that will likely affect Central PA Saturday into Sunday. Most long-range guidance now agrees that an area of low pressure will develop along the coast and move into the Delmarva region by early Sunday. That fresh supply of cold air means that parts of Central PA will be on the snowy side of this storm. A significant, but manageable snow looks likely from Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning- especially for northern areas and higher elevations. It’s too early to talk specific amounts as guidance will waffle over the coming days, but stay tuned. We will know more as we inch closer. Some model guidance continues to show some warm air intrusion with this system, which would help mix in sleet and potentially rain before the storm exits. But mixing isn’t a given yet. It’s impossible to know specific totals until the end of the week, which is when we will release some snow numbers. For snow lovers, this may be the best chance in a while to at least see some accumulation. Stay tuned as we continue to track this weekend winter storm.

-Meteorologists Brett Thackara, Dan Tomaso, and Jackson Chastain