Big Storm To Hit Pennsylvania This Week, Forecasters Say

March will certainly be coming in like a lion this year, if the forecast is correct. The National Weather Service has issued an alert for a major storm that's expected to hit the region later this week.

Described by forecasters as a nor'easter, the storm is expected to arrive Thursday, the first day of March, and last into Friday. "It will be a powerful storm," Walter Drag, an NWS meteorologist, told Patch.

Wednesday update: Latest On Big Storm Heading To Pennsylvania

Since temperatures are expected to climb into the 40s and 50s in most areas of the state, Drag said the storm will bring mostly rain. As much as two inches is expected, and there will also be high winds.

The NWS has issued a hazardous weather outlook across Eastern Pennsylvania for the incoming storm. Its heavy rain may result in localized poor drainage flooding and could cause significant rise for small streams, the NWS predicts.

The system will form over the southern part of the country during the middle of the week, bringing more flooding rain and some severe thunderstorms to already storm weary residents of the Mississippi Valley, according to AccuWeather. The storm will then make its way into the Midwest and Northeast, gathering more strength as it slows down near the coast.

Calm, sunny weather will precede the storm. But the nor'easter could also spell the return of chilly weather to the Midwest and Northeast, according to AccuWeather.

There is the potential for a narrow swath of strong winds and heavy snow, which could bring near-blizzard conditions through the northern Great Lakes and northern New England. But unless there's a shift in the track, that snow won't be coming to the Philadelphia region, according to AccuWeather.

Here is the forecast:

Today: Cloudy early, then gradual clearing, with a high near 54. Northwest wind 8 to 10 mph.

Tonight: Clear, with a low around 33. Northwest wind around 6 mph.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 57. Calm wind becoming west 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 36. Southwest wind 3 to 5 mph.

Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 58. Southwest wind 5 to 8 mph.

Wednesday Night: A slight chance of showers before 1am, then a chance of rain after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 52. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Thursday Night: Rain. Low around 42. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Friday: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 47. Chance of precipitation is 70%

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