BETHLEHEM, Pa. - While Monday will bring mostly sunny skies and dry weather to the region, meteorologists are tracking a series of storms that will make for a mostly soggy week in the Lehigh Valley — with a question of wintry weather by week's end.
- It's setting up to be a wet week in the Lehigh Valley
- Tuesday afternoon through Tuesday evening could see a half-inch to an inch of rain fall in the region
- Meteorologists are monitoring a late-week system that has the potential to bring some wintry weather
The first of those systems is forecast to begin approaching from the west and southwest Monday evening, with the leading edge of an area of rain arriving by daybreak Tuesday.
Forecasters say temperatures will likely fall into the 30s, and some readings may be at or just below freezing at the onset of the precipitation at some locations in the Lehigh Valley.
"If there is any freezing rain, it will be rather limited with temperatures expected to be on the rise," said NWS lead meteorologist Dean Iovino in the latest forecast discussion.
An unsettled period to follow
The wettest time period coming up looks to be Tuesday afternoon and evening, meteorologists say, and some of the rain could be a bit on the heavier side, but with intensity on the lighter side.
That means while a good amount of rain should fall, we won’t see it come fast and furious, with total rainfall looking to be a half-inch to one inch across the region. The highest amounts should fall from about the I-78 corridor northward.
READ: What is a ‘Greenland Block?’ Pattern could open the door for cold, snow in December
High temperatures are forecast to be into the 50s, with 60 degrees possible near the coast, but forecasters say cold air damming should keep temperatures lower for the I-78 corridor northward.
Cold air damming occurs when cold air becomes trapped topographically against the windward side of a mountain range, and effects on the weather may include colder temperatures, freezing precipitation, and extensive cloud cover.
A question mark for the end of the week
The end of the week looks "very interesting," says EPAWA meteorologist Bobby Martrich in his latest weekly weather video.
EPAWA's 12/5 and week ahead outlook, covering:
— Bobby Martrich | EPAWA Meteorologist ☈ (@epawawx) December 5, 2022
■ Showers timing tonight through Wednesday
■ Examining the late week system...snow?https://t.co/glSKcl47wB
That's because the pattern is set to become more amplified, with a strong piece of energy ejecting out of the western U.S. and moving from the central Plains on Thursday, to the Ohio Valley on Friday, then to the mid-Atlantic region Friday night into Saturday.
It’s too soon to tell what the likely outcome will be, but forecasters say various scenarios are possible, and all of them will "have an impact on our sensible weather, including how much precipitation falls.”
“If enough colder/drier air gets this far south and moisture overruns it, then wintry precipitation is certainly possible for at least portions of our area,” the weather service forecast discussion said.
For now, a blend of the models show a milder, rainy day in the region.
"We have all week to look at this"EPAWA meteorologist Bobby Martrich, discussing a late-week storm system
"We have all week to look at this. This is a Friday-Friday night deal," Martrich said, indicating some "red flags" in the models that could alter the expected outcome of this storm system in the coming days.
"We can't really lean anywhere just yet," he said.
