Winter storm mostly rain in city, sleet in ‘burbs

The National Weather Service has bumped down its snow forecast, as this morning's winter storm is dropping mostly rain and thick sleet in parts of the city and suburbs.

Still, hundreds of area schools are either closed or letting students out early.

Temperatures have inched above freezing at Philadelphia International Airport, and were right at freezing to the north and west.

"Given that it has been warm, the streets should be toasty enough to prevent significant icing from any freezing rain on the roads in the immediate Philadelphia area," says Tony Gigi, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly.

It's a different story in the Philadelphia suburbs.

There's icing in the northern suburbs as the temperatures there remain below freezing. A heavy dose of sleet and freezing rain will continue to fall throughout the day, heaviest in northern Bucks, Chester and Montgomery Counties.

Northern Burlington, Gloucester and Mercer Counties will also see slippery conditions.

Rain should be the predominant form of precipitation in Center City, South Jersey and Delaware.

The official forecast for Philadelphia now calls for periods of rain, but sleet remains a threat to the north and west. It is sleeting as far north as Allentown, with heavy snow to the north of the ice line.

Another winter storm will approach late Saturday, with an 80 percent chance of snow and rain on Sunday.