First Snow For Parts Of Eastern PA In Wednesday Forecast

SOUTHEASTERN PA — Though parts of southeastern Pennsylvania could see its first noticeable snow on Wednesday, forecasters said any accumulation will be negligible in most places.

Less than a half-inch of snow is expected and the precipitation could easily turn to rain in the Philadelphia suburbs, the National Weather Service said Tuesday.

A coating to an inch of snow could accumulate on non-paved surfaces.

Any snow that falls in the area is expected to stop by 4 p.m., the weather service said. Motorists and pedestrians may encounter slippery spots on their travels during the evening commute.

“Only if the storm strengthens significantly and slows down might the anticipated light to moderate snowfall evolve into a moderate to heavy snowfall event. In that highly unlikely case, temperatures would be several degrees lower due to the heavier rate of snow,” AccuWeather meteorologists said.

Regardless of the amount of snow that falls, the coldest air of the season will unfold across the region into Wednesday night, forecasters said.

Sunny skies are in the forecast on Tuesday, with afternoon highs in the low 40s. Evening temperatures will fall to the upper 20s and low 30s.

Following Wednesday’s weather event, sunshine will return on Thursday with highs of about 40, forecasters say.

Looking ahead, forecasters are monitoring a warming trend in the coming weeks which could bring record high temperatures for December.

A warm air mass is expected to spread over the region on Saturday, with temperatures pushing toward the low 70s. The warm conditions may diminish any chance for significant snow during this time, according to the weather service.

Here’s the latest forecast:

Tuesday

Partly sunny, with a high near 42. West wind around 5 mph.

Tuesday night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm.

Wednesday

A chance of snow, mainly before 4pm. Cloudy, with a high near 39. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Wednesday Night

Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 28. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 40. Northwest wind around 5 mph.

Thursday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32.

Friday

Mostly cloudy, with a high near 50.

Friday Night

A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 44. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

With reporting from Patch correspondent Kimberlee Bongard