BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Don't look now, but any last chance of a winter punch could be in the forecast for Monday and Tuesday.
Forecasters are keeping a close eye on a system headed our way that could turn into a coastal nor'easter.
- The Lehigh Valley has experienced a mostly mild winter
- Forecasters are keeping an eye on the next system that could hit Monday night
- How much precipitation we get — and in what forms — depends on a couple of factors
Unknown is exactly where off the coast that system may stall. The answer will determine what if any jolt of winter weather hits the Lehigh Valley area.
"I really think we have one legitimate shot at snow left and that's going to be this system."Meteorologist Bobby Martrich of the Eastern Pennsylvania Weather Authority
"I really think we have one legitimate shot at snow left and that's going to be this system," meteorologist Bobby Martrich of the Eastern Pennsylvania Weather Authority said in his daily forecast video Saturday. "It's just a matter of for whom."
The region has escaped any severe winter weather this season, with the latest system Friday and Saturday petering out and mainly resulting in rain for much of the Valley. The same could occur with the next round, depending on where the coastal system stalls.
There is a potential Monday night into Tuesday along the New Jersey, New York and New England coast for strong winds, coastal flooding and rain and snow, according to the National Weather Service.
For our region, the weather service right now says rain and snow could hit between 1 and 4 a.m. Tuesday, then a chance of snow after 4 a.m.
Martrich said forecasters will have a better idea of what's in store Sunday as the approaching system develops.
The weather service forecast calls for increasing clouds Sunday with a high near 47. There's an 80 percent chance of precipitation, mostly rain, Sunday night into Monday morning, with precipitation amounts between one-tenth and a quarter-inch possible.
Rain is expected Monday with a high of 44 before becoming colder and windier. Tuesday will be mostly cloudy and windy with a high near 40 and a 30 percent chance of precipitation, according to the weather service.
