What to Know
- After a storm brought heavy rain and some thunderstorms Wednesday night into early Thursday and kept us damp through much of Thursday, the cold, blustery air it ushered in brought the first snowflakes of the season to many neighborhoods in Pennsylvania.
- Hardest hit will be the higher elevations in the Poconos, where a winter storm warning is in effect as heavy snow and gusty winds are expected to lead to travel troubles and possible power outages.
- Some of the snow could stick to grass and colder surfaces in the Lehigh Valley and northernmost Pennsylvania suburbs. However, in Philadelphia, South Jersey and surrounding communities, any snow that falls is expected to melt as it hits the ground.
- Be sure to have the most up-to-date version of the NBC10 app downloaded to your advice to get weather updates and track the wet weather with our live radar.
After some much-needed November Rain drenched the Philadelphia region, all eyes are now focused on the sky for another round of wet weather, this one bringing rain, snow and blustery winds Friday.
Inches of snow are expected to stick in the Pocono Mountains where a winter storm warning for difficult driving conditions is in effect for 24 hours beginning at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. Meanwhile, folks in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs won't need their snow shovels Friday.
No matter where you are, temps are chilly Thursday and Friday, not getting out of the 40s and feeling even colder thanks to blustery wind gusts. Those gusty conditions then stick around into the weekend, but the wet weather will not.
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This weather change is definitely a shock to the system after weeks of mostly mild, sunny and dry fall weather in the Delaware Valley. So grab your jackets and stay tuned with the First Alert Weather Team on air and in our NBC10 app for the most up-to-date forecasts and any alerts.
Meteorologist Bill Henley and the First Alert Weather Team is getting you prepared and breaking it all down for you:
Weather Stories
❄️First snowflakes for many, but will it stick?
Bands of precipitation began moving back in Friday. That led to the first snow of the season in parts of the region and some of that snow sticking in the Poconos and possibly some parts of the Lehigh Valley.
Snow is expected to keep falling through Friday in the Poconos. Some of that precipitation reached into the Lehigh Valley and surrounding communities before daybreak Friday and could continue during the day as temps stay in the 30s.
In Philadelphia and surrounding suburbs the precipitation in the form of some very light snowflakes arrived in the morning. More wet weather is expected into Friday afternoon. Temps will be above freezing so rain is most likely, but you could see some snow mixing in. However, none of that possible snow is expected to stick.
How much snow will fall in Pennsylvania?
The Pocono Mountains will see snow falling through Friday, delivering 5 to 10 inches in the highest elevations where winter storm warnings are in effect until 4 p.m. Friday. While many roads are only partially covered during the morning, conditions could worsen throughout the day as snowfall continues.
Hours of falling snow in the Lehigh Valley in the western suburbs should largely be melting away as the snowflakes hit the ground. Drivers can expect the roads to remain in good shape, mostly, but be prepared to drive slower.
In some of the higher elevations of Berks County and the Lehigh Valley, a bit of snow may accumulate on the grass, but this will be the exception rather than the rule.
Near Philadelphia, Delaware and South Jersey, the storm is primarily a rain event with occasional snowflakes melting on contact. Up to half an inch of rain is possible Friday in some neighborhoods. Highs will stay in the upper 30s to near 40 degrees, with gusty winds making it feel like freezing.
We don't expect to see any major travel issues in the Philadelphia region from this storm. However, if you're heading north, a winter storm warning is in effect for the Poconos and points north, leading to trouble on the roads. So, if you are heading to the mountains you may want to wait until the weekend.
Good news, all the wet weather comes to an end Friday night and the weekend will bring sunshine, but it will be blustery.
Winds keep blowing into weekend
Gusty winds will blow on Friday -- with gusts in some places exceeding 30 mph.
Expect gusty winds on Saturday and quite chilly conditions for Philadelphia’s half marathon.
Sunday will be less windy, but still chilly for the full AACR Philadelphia marathon. Sunday morning temps start in the 40s with temperatures rebounding to the mid-to-upper 50s in the afternoon.
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