No snow in Philly today, but potential storm later this week

Will it snow in Philadelphia Monday night? Don’t get your hopes up.

A winter storm is moving into the Northeast Monday evening, but it’s not expected to drop any measurable snow in Philadelphia, according to the National Weather Service.

Rain is forecast to begin across the city around 5 p.m., with the possibility of some sleet mixing in, though little to no accumulation is expected. The rain is expected to continue overnight, with a forecast low temperature of 35 degrees and southeast winds blowing around 10 to 15 miles per hour.

Philadelphia might get some brief sleet pellets or snowflakes initially, but those are expected to be washed out with the rain.

Rain is expected to continue through Tuesday morning before tapering off around 10 a.m., according to the National Weather Service. Clouds will make way for the sun, with an expected high Tuesday near 44 degrees.

Winter storm warnings are in effect for areas near and north of Interstate 80. Allentown is expected to received two to three inches of snow, while between six to eight inches of snow is forecast for the Poconos, according to the weather service.

While Monday night is expected to be a dud, National Weather Service meteorologist Paul Fitzsimmons said forecasters are tracking a “potentially significant storm” later this week that could end up dropping some snow in the Philadelphia area Thursday night into Friday.

“It’s a little early to get specific on that one,” Fitzsimmons, lead meteorologist at the Mount Holly office, told The Inquirer. “Early indications would lean more towards a mix over southern parts of our area, including Philadelphia, with potential for significant snow further north, but there’s still a lot of uncertainty.”

So far this winter season, Philadelphia has recorded just 0.3 inches of snow, the second-smallest snowfall total in 139 years of official snow records, tying the winter of 2019-20. There was zero measurable snow in the winter of 1972-73. Philadelphia averages a little over 23 inches of snow annually.

Temperatures in both January and February were well above normal. Fitzsimmons said there is an increased chance for below-average temperatures across the Delaware Valley in March, due to a pattern change known as sudden stratospheric warming, which makes it easier for colder air to make its way further south. It could also increase the chances for above-normal precipitation.

“Now, that doesn’t guarantee we’re necessarily going to be getting big snowstorms in Philadelphia, but it loads the dice more in favor of the kind of storms that could potentially give us some snow,” Fitzsimmons said.