BETHLEHEM, Pa. — March will be off to a dry and somewhat mild start in the Lehigh Valley, but it will last just one day, forecasters warn.
The beginning of the month also looks to offer the kind of volatility we saw in January, which was one of the wettest in decades and delivered dramatic temperature swings and more than 10 inches of snow.
Models are leaning into an all-day rain event Saturday, and experts say it’s just the start of what could be an unsettled pattern to kick off the month.
No salvaging Saturday
Clear skies Friday morning will give way to building cloud cover from the southwest by the afternoon, the National Weather Service said in its latest forecast discussion.
But precipitation is on the doorstep, arriving late and continuing through Saturday with periods of light to moderate rain expected.
“We were talking about this for the last couple of days and working out timing of this and hopefully trying to salvage some of Saturday," EPAWA meteorologist Bobby Martrich said in his latest video update.
"It does not look like that is going to be the case.”
EPAWA's 3/1 and week ahead outlook, covering:
— Bobby Martrich | EPAWA (@epawawx) March 1, 2024
■ Timing/expectations of rain tonight thru Saturday
■ Temps turn much milder late weekend onward
■ Early look at the next system expected midweekhttps://t.co/Fa6vFLqUBP
The weather service also described it as an “all-day rain type of event,” with the latest trend being for rain and wind to wind down in the evening.
Even as the low-pressure system fizzles to our east through Sunday, forecasters say it will remain mostly cloudy, with highs currently forecast to be in the upper 50s to low 60s across the region.
The long-term looks gray
Unless you’re a fan of rain, the long-term outlook isn’t great.
Forecasters expect it to remain gray and unsettled — but mild — for this time of year.
The next “robust” system looks to approach the area by late Wednesday into Thursday — but “how exactly this evolves meteorologically is uncertain,” the weather service said.
Currently, some models keep the system as a slow-moving cold front and others develop it as a coastal storm.
“Either way, a period of steadier, heavier rain appears likely by late-day Wednesday into next Thursday,” the NWS forecast discussion said.
Meteorological winter is over. Is the snow?
Social media has been banging the storm drums lately, advertising a storm signal in the March 9-12 time frame.
As of now, temperatures look to stay mild through the period and wintry precipitation is not a concern.
Meteorological winter also is over and we’ve welcomed meteorological spring — encompassing the months of March, April and May in the Northern Hemisphere.
Here’s a recap from the National Weather Service of December through March:
