Editor's note: This story is no longer being updated as of Friday, Jan. 3. Click here for the latest on the snow storm forecasted for Monday, Jan. 6.
The new year is starting out with a one-two punch of winter weather in the Philadelphia region with light snow expected to cause slippery roads during the Friday evening rush hour and a bigger storm expected to impact the area on Monday.
For the most update to date information on the impending snow storm coming to our region on Monday, Jan. 6, click here.
Light snow on Friday, Jan. 3
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The first chance arrives Friday afternoon with a weak low-pressure system bringing scattered snow and rain showers.
The light snow began to move into the area around 2 p.m. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for Philadelphia, South Jersey and central and northern Delaware on Friday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The National Weather Service says a total of one to two inches of snow is expected to fall in the Philadelphia region.
As precipitation increases, the temperature is expected to drop to around freezing by 5 p.m.
Drivers should expect slippery road conditions during the Friday evening commute as brief, heavy bands of snow fall across our region.
The snow should be done falling by mid-evening before much colder air moves in for the weekend.
A bitter cold and windy weekend
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Saturday, we'll see a blast of cold air with highs in the low 30s and wind chills that will make it feel like the low 20s.
Sunday will be a little warmer but still cold with temperatures in the mid-30s during the day.
A bigger snowstorm on Monday, Jan. 6
The second chance for snow is the one to watch more closely: A potential nor’easter is developing late Sunday night and Monday.
This storm system could bring our first significant snowfall of the season, though the exact track remains uncertain. The storm is expected to move in between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. Monday and continue through the morning and afternoon before tapering off around 5 p.m.
As of Friday, the models are showing the following snow totals for Monday:
Philadelphia, surrounding suburbs - 3 to 5 inches
The Lehigh Valley - 1 to 3 inches
Delaware and South Jersey 5 to 8 inches
These snowfall amounts could change if the storm tracks farther north. We will continuously update the estimated snowfall maps from now until Monday.
Preparing for the storms
Local hardware stores are preparing for the upcoming winter storms.
Audubon Hardware in Camden County, New Jersey, got 19 pallets of rock salt on Thursday, Jan. 2.
"People are starting to come in now. A lot of people are going to wait and see if it does really snow, maybe Monday or tomorrow. Then they’ll come in. It’ll be crazy," Audubon Hardware's Glenn Hare told NBC10.
Another 17 pallets of calcium are scheduled to arrive on Friday to prepare for the winter weather forecasted.
Meanwhile, Fairmount Hardware in Philadelphia has shovels, ice scrappers and bags of salt stocked and ready to go.
"We definitely get busy. Everyone in the store gets excited. It’s a lot of work but it’s also a lot of fun," Fairmount Hardware's Andy Siegel said.
Suburban Lawn and Equipment in Stanton, Delaware, said they're getting lots of calls from people looking for very last minute repairs to their snow blowers. Their biggest suggestion is to use fuel stabilizer and start it once a month throughout the year to keep it from dying on you between storms.
"As funny as it sounds, if you start your snow thrower up once a month in the off season and let it run for five or ten minutes it will save you time and money," Anthony Petruccelli, of Suburban Lawn and Equipment said.
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