PA December Forecast: Plunging Temperatures Beginning Next Week

PITTSBURGH, PA - Prepare to bundle up, Pittsburgh. Winter is on the way.

Autumn has been relatively mild thus far but the warmer temperatures are about to vanish, according to the National Weather Service. A significant pattern change is expected to usher in cold weather for weeks to come, and that change likely will occur in the coming week.
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"Following a mild start to December, this major pattern change is likely to usher in outbreak of below to much-below normal temperatures at least through mid-December," according to the 30-day outlook, which was released Thursday.

Those below-normal temperatures are predicted for the eastern third of the country with the upper Ohio Valley having the highest odds of colder air. The frigid fun should begin by Thursday.

The forecast:

• Friday: Sunny, with a high near 45. Light west wind.

• Friday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 30. Calm wind.

• Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 47. Calm wind.

• Saturday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 31. Light southwest wind.

• Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 49. Light west wind.

• Sunday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 32.

• Monday: A chance of showers after 4 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 54. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

• Monday night: Showers likely, mainly after 3 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent.

• Tuesday: Showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 55. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent.

• Tuesday night: Showers likely, mainly before 2 a.m. Cloudy, with a low around 36. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent.

• Wednesday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 42. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent.

• Wednesday night: A chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 26. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

• Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 34.

Map via National Weather Service.

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