Unseasonable Warmth Before Drastic Turn To Snow: Philly Area Weather

PHILADELPHIA, PA — The only true constant over this turbulent winter in the greater Philadelphia area is that there is no constant.

On the heels of several winter storms and dangerously cold temperatures that saw wind chills drop to around zero, a sudden warm front has swept into the region this week.

Temperatures will see highs in the mid-50s over the next several days, with little hint that the region is not experiencing a mild week in May other than the overnight low swinging some 30 degrees down into the 20s.

Things will begin to make a drastic turn, however, on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

Saturday will be the warmest day during the day: highs in the mid-50s, and partly sunny. But after dark things will start to shift, and forecasters are tracking a storm system that could bring an as-of-yet undetermined amount of snow accumulation to the area.

There's a chance of rain and snow by around 1 a.m. early Sunday, and that is predicted to shift to all snow by 3 a.m.

The chance of snow now sits at 40 percent, so the exact extent and nature of the storm remains too early to call definitively for forecasters. But the storm front will bring markedly colder temperatures, with things dropping down into the teens Sunday and Monday night.

Here's the full forecast into next week:

Thursday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 54. Breezy, with a west wind 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Thursday night

Mostly clear, with a low around 29. West wind around 5 mph.

Friday

Sunny, with a high near 53. Light southwest wind increasing to 10 to 15 mph in the morning.

Friday night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 44. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.

Saturday

Partly sunny, with a high near 55. West wind 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday night

A slight chance of rain before 1am, then a chance of rain and snow between 1am and 3am, then a chance of snow after 3am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 30. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Sunday

A chance of snow before 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 38. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Sunday night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 18.

Monday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 28.

Monday night

Mostly clear, with a low around 18.

Tuesday

Sunny, with a high near 35.

Tuesday night

Mostly clear, with a low around 23