BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The Lehigh Valley is under a wind advisory as a potent cold front takes aim at the region, and PPL Electric Utilities says it's prepared for power outages.
The advisory is in effect from 4 p.m. Wednesday until 4 a.m. Thursday, with northwest winds 20 to 30 mph and gusts of 40 to 50 mph expected.
While the strongest winds will diminish overnight, breezy conditions are expected to persist through Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
“The high winds and additional rain, on a ground that is already saturated from recent snow, could bring down trees and limbs on our electric lines and equipment, causing power outages,” said Christine Martin, president of PPL, in a release.
“We want customers to know that we have crews across our service territory ready to work around the clock to help get customers back online as safely and efficiently as we can."
Martin said the utility has has hundreds of personnel ready to respond to the storm, providing both field-based and back-office emergency response operations across its service territory. That includes lineworkers, foresters, damage assessors and call center staff.
The setup
Here is a look at today's forecast. A potent cold front will approach the region today and cross through this evening and early tonight. Rain and strong winds will be brought to the region; 40-50 mph wind gusts are likely with passage of the front. #NJwx #PAwx #DEwx #MDwx pic.twitter.com/3hu06WXhqN
— NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) February 28, 2024
A wave of showers and isolated thunderstorms that produced lightning and small hail overnight will be lifted north of the area early this morning.
But another wave of showers and thunderstorms passed through, and gusts were topping out around 25 mph just before 2 p.m.
After highs reached 62 on Tuesday, temperatures are expected to remain unseasonably warm, with highs ranging from the upper 50s to mid-60s across much of the area — about 15 degrees above normal.
The arrival of the front
An increase in coverage and intensity of showers can be expected as the cold front nears the area late this afternoon and evening, including a shallow line of storms along or just ahead of the front.
“This line of showers with perhaps some embedded thunder may be capable of mixing down some isolated wind gusts up to 60 mph," the weather service said.
"But again, this will be conditional on the instability and evolution of any line that develops.”
The Storm Prediction Center said this activity is expected to be rather disorganized, as the front encounters a somewhat moist and weakly unstable air mass.
“However, given the strong linear forcing along the front and potential for mixing down of the stronger winds just off the surface, will maintain low probabilities for locally strong to severe gusts,” its outlook said.
Rainfall amounts are expected to range from about a half-inch to 1 inch near and southeast of Interstate 95 to 1 1/2 inches northwest of I-95, including the Lehigh Valley.
Some urban or poor drainage flooding is possible, and power outages could occur with the strongest winds as the cold front drops temperatures 30 to 40 degrees across the region between midafternoon and early Thursday.
