WEATHER ALERT: Another Snow, Ice Storm On the Way

By Emily Everson (Patch Staff):

A second wave of a colliding storm system that dropped a few inches of snow on the state Wednesday night gets another chance to hit Eastern Pennsylvania with more snow this weekend.

Snow will fall Sunday evening through Monday afternoon, laying down ”a swath of significant snow” before changing to ice and sleet Monday, The Weather Channel says.

The National Weather Service has issued a “Hazardus Weather Outlook” for Southeastern Pennsylvania, saying there 60 percent chance of snow Sunday into Monday.

A potent disturbance will start to dive south of the Canadian border and into the Great Lakes on Saturday. This system will then sweep into the Northeast Sunday, lingering through Monday and Tuesday, particularly if low pressure develops off the East Coast, according to The Weather Channel.

It is too early to determine precise snowfall totals. This system has the potential to lay down “a swath of significant snow” from the northern Great Lakes into the Northeast, The Weather Channel says.

The Northeast, including a large swath of the I-95 urban corridor, could see a prolonged period of snow, perhaps heavy at times, from later Sunday through Tuesday, The Weather Channel says.

The onslaught of more snow will likely create slippery and hazardous conditions for drivers, as snowdrifts pile up and the state recovers from Thursday’s snowfall.

AAA offers the following safety tips for navigating icy roads.

• Be aware of and on the lookout for black ice. Pavement with black ice will be a little darker and duller than the rest of the road surface. It commonly forms on highly shaded areas, infrequently traveled roads and on bridges and overpasses.
• Use extreme caution on bridges and overpasses. Bridges and overpasses freeze first and melt last. Although the roadway leading up to a bridge may appear to be fine, use caution because the bridge itself could be a sheet of ice.
• Slow down. Drive, turn and brake slowly. Adjust your speed to the road conditions and leave yourself ample room to stop. Give yourself three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.
• Be alert of traffic ahead. Slow down at the sight of brake lights, fishtailing cars, sideways cars or emergency flashers ahead.
• Never use cruise control.
• Avoid unnecessarily changing lanes. It increases your chances of hitting a patch of ice between lanes that could cause you to lose control of the vehicle.