BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Late Tuesday marks the astronomical beginning of the spring season in the Northern Hemisphere, but forecasters say winter isn’t quite done with us yet.
The spring equinox arrives at 11:06 p.m., and Wednesday will mark the official first full day of spring. But ‘volatile’ has been the word so far this month with:
- Four days of temperatures in the 40s
- Seven days of temperatures in the 50s
- Five days of temperatures in the 60s
- Two days of temperatures in the 70s
A winterlike pattern welcomes spring
Highs on Tuesday will top off in the low to upper 40s, with 30s in the southern Poconos, according to the National Weather Service. Northwest winds will also increase to 15 to 20 mph, with gusts of 25 to 30 mph.
Some “lake effect streamers” are expected to develop off the Great Lakes later on, with snow showers that could make it down into the southern Poconos and parts of the Lehigh Valley.
While any snowfall will be minimal, it’s not the only wintry precipitation mentioned in the forecast this week.
On Wednesday, the weather service said another surge of cold and dry air will work its way into the region, with gusty winds and showers anticipated for some and a little sleet mixing in for the northern-most areas possible.
“Winds gusting over 40 mph [are] probable,” the weather service forecast discussion states.
Late-week storm ‘worth watching’
“On Friday, we’ll start off partly cloudy and clouds are going to increase later in the day,” EPAWA meteorologist Bobby Martrich said in his latest video update.
“And then we have this next system coming at us that’s going to affect us Friday night into Saturday morning at least. And this is interesting because there is marginally cold air coming in.
“And when I talked about the opportunities for snow, the last identifiable opportunity was the one that’s coming in this weekend,” Martrich said, noting that chance is “only for certain areas.”
EPAWA's 3/19 and week ahead outlook, covering:
— Bobby Martrich | EPAWA (@epawawx) March 19, 2024
■ Colder temperatures dominate much of this week
■ Snow showers north Tuesday evening, Wednesday
■ End of week snow for some? It's worth monitoringhttps://t.co/WzjmMv5ATP
Martrich called the system a “classic example of thread-the-needle,” with the storm coming in overnight when it’s colder, with some models aggressive with snow and sleet up front, even for the Lehigh Valley.
The most likely scenario is that precipitation would start as snow for the southern Poconos and northern New Jersey, creating slippery travel if precipitation rates increase before surface temperatures do.
Highs on Saturday will be in the low to mid 40s with a flip to rain expected, but Martrich said models “are not far-fetched” with what could play out.
“There could be, yes, a little bit of snow initially. It won’t be a snowstorm in a traditional sense, but it could be something that starts off as snow.”
Welcome, spring.
