Philly Area Weather: Arctic Blast Coming Ahead Of Significant Snowstorm

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Confidence is increasing that a winter storm will impact southeastern Pennsylvania over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, with a frigid blast of Arctic air sweeping through the region in the days leading up to it.

The storm late Sunday into early Monday "has the potential to pack a punch with a period of heavy snow on its cold northwestern flank and heavy rain or heavy snow changing to rain on its warmer southeastern side," AccuWeather.com says.

The preliminary forecast is calling for 1 to 3 inches for parts of the greater Philadelphia area, with the potential for 3 to 6 inches to the north and west of the I-95 corridor.

It's likely that most of the areas that receive snow will also receive rain, and there remains the possibility that the storm could shift to more rain.

"With this track, very little of our region would see a mostly snow event," the National Weather Service's Mt. Holly, New Jersey station shared on Twitter. "There remains quite a bit of uncertainty."

But a slight change in course would mean a massive storm.

"Should the storm manage to drift 50 miles or so off the coast while heading northward, I-95 cities from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia, New York City and Boston could be buried in snow with little or no rain and ice mixing in," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Bill Deger said.

The Arctic blast will arrive late Friday, with temperatures plunging into the low teens and not getting out of the mid-20s on Saturday. Things could get as cold as the single digits on Saturday night, before warming slightly on Sunday ahead of the storm.

Here is the latest forecast:

Thursday

Mostly cloudy, with a high near 44. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Thursday night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32. North wind around 5 mph.

Friday

Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 45. North wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Friday night

Mostly clear, with a low around 14. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Saturday

Partly sunny, with a high near 24. North wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Saturday night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 12.

Sunday

A chance of snow after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 35. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Sunday night
Snow, possibly mixed with sleet before 10 p.m., then rain and snow between 10pm and 1am, then rain after 1 a.m. Low around 29. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Marin Luther King Jr. Day

A chance of rain before 1 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 42. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Monday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 26.