The National Weather Service is warning of “dangerous” snow squalls Sunday that will impact all of eastern Pennsylvania, including our region.
The bands of heavy snow showers will be moving east at 50 to 55 mph on the edge of an arctic air mass. The snow squalls could lead to near whiteout conditions and a half-inch of snow in as little as 10 to 15 minutes, according to a special weather statement from the weather service.
Those conditions will lead to dangerous travel conditions. Making things worse will be wind gusts of up to 50 mph in the squalls, according to the weather service. A wind advisory remains in effect for the region until 5 p.m.
The squalls are expected between the late morning and early afternoon hours. The weather service advises delaying travel until the mid to late afternoon, after the squall threat has passed.
Snow squalls may impact portions of the area later this morning and into the afternoon. The greatest threat is northwest of I-95. If a Snow Squall Warning is issued for your area, delay travel. If you’re driving, find a place to pull safely off of the road. #PAwx #NJwx pic.twitter.com/e5Al6HaUnj
— NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) January 14, 2024
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For those who cannot avoid travel, pay attention to any snow squall warnings issued by the weather service. Motorists should also pay attention for the signs of an approaching squall, such as terrain features in the distance being obscured by heavy snow.
If you’re driving on an expressway and notice a squall approaching, try to get off at the nearest exit. If you can’t safely do that, slow down gradually, well before entering the squall, and turn on your hazard lights, the weather service advises.
On all other roads, try to pull off to a safe location, such as a parking lot or driveway, until the squall passes.
As the squalls moved across Pennsylvania, whiteout conditions were already reported Sunday morning across western and central portions of the state.
The weather service’s State College forecast office shared side-by-side photos from a PennDOT traffic camera, taken just 4 minutes apart, showing Interstate 80 in Clearfield County going from completely passable to snow-covered amid whitehout conditions.
These two images were taken 4 minutes apart on I-80 near the Clearfield exit. This is what we mean by rapid onset whiteout conditions and roads becoming slippery. Please avoid travel in snow squalls! #PAwx pic.twitter.com/nm1ngHl9yg
— NWS State College (@NWSStateCollege) January 14, 2024
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While the squalls will result in heavy bursts of snow, because they are fast-moving, any accumulation will be limited to less than an inch, according to the weather service forecast discussion. However, in the higher elevations of the southern Poconos, 1 to 2 inches of snow is possible.
Once the snow showers move out, the rest of Sunday will be partly cloudy but cold, with a high temperature around 37.
Looking ahead to the coastal storm expected to impact the region Monday night into Tuesday, snow is now a near certainty for any precipitation that moves into our region, as the system will have enough cold air available, according to the weather service forecast discussion.
Still, much uncertainty remains in the forecast. Several models have backed off more dire forecasts that showed a rapid strengthening of the storm.
“In other words, a widespread significant 6+ inch snowfall event is not anticipated based on latest guidance,” according to the forecast discussion.
Instead, a 1- to 3-inch snowfall over most of the region is the likely outcome, according to the weather service.
Source: Berkshire mont