6:15 AM | ****Occasional snow from mid-day to evening...watch for slick spots...accumulating snow threat on Sunday as Arctic blast arrives...brutally cold early next week****
Paul Dorian
6-Day forecast for the Philadelphia, PA metro region
Today
Increasing clouds, still quite cold, occasional snow likely during the mid-day or early afternoon, watch for slick spots later today, highs near 30 degrees; SW winds around 5-10 mph
Tonight
Evening snow showers possible then gradually clearing skies, quite cold, lows in the lower 20’s
Friday
Partly sunny, chilly, upper 30’s for afternoon highs
Friday Night
Increasing clouds, cold, middle 20’s for late night lows
Saturday
Mainly cloudy, chilly, chance of rain showers, an outside chance for some ice or snow to mix in at times, not a heavy precipitation event, near 40 degrees
Sunday
Mainly cloudy, breezy, colder, good chance of snow during the PM hours or perhaps rain changing to snow, accumulations are most definitely on the table, middle 30’s
Monday
Partly sunny, windy, very cold, lower 20’s with much lower wind chill values; single digits at night
Tuesday
Mainly sunny, brutally cold, middle teens at best for afternoon highs!
Discussion
A “clipper” system will drop southeastward today across the Great Lakes region and it likely produces occasional snow here from mid-day/early afternoon into the early evening hours. Small accumulations of a coating to an inch or two are possible…watch for slick spots later today as temperatures will remain below-freezing and the roadways are very cold. Temperatures will moderate on Friday to go along with dry conditions and then there can be some rain shower activity on Saturday - perhaps even a mix with ice or snow at times - this does not look like a heavy precipitation event.
On Sunday, a strong Arctic cold front will slide into the eastern states and it will be at the leading edge of a widespread Arctic air mass. A wave of low pressure is likely to form right along this frontal boundary zone somewhere over the southeastern states and it can then push to the northeast later Sunday into an increasingly colder air mass. As such, there is the chance for snow in the Mid-Atlantic region from later Sunday into Sunday night...perhaps beginning as rain and then changing to snow…accumulations are most definitely on the table.
By the time we get to Monday, Inauguration Day, most of the country will be in a deep freeze including the DC metro area where outdoor activities are planned for the swearing-in ceremonies. Single digit (actual) temperatures are likely on Monday night all along the DC-to-Philly-to-NYC corridor and they may do no better than the teens on Tuesday for afternoon highs.
Meteorologist Paul Dorian
Arcfield Weather