Philly’s wild weather: If you like change, you’ll love this week
One to three inches of snow are possible Wednesday, as temperatures tumble 25 to 30 degrees in a matter of hours.
From appearances, the atmosphere was in a foul mood around Philadelphia on Monday, and it is about to go through some serious mood changes.
After rainy conditions lasted throughout the day Monday — easing just before the start of the Eagles-Giants game at Lincoln Financial Field — another round of rain is due Tuesday, when the high will make a run at 60 degrees.
But then a cold front is expected to yank the region from April to January in a matter of hours, with temperatures falling into the 30s by Wednesday — and some snow could be falling with it.
It is likely that the cold air shows up in time to change the rain to snow and put down perhaps an inch in and around Philadelphia, starting around daybreak Wednesday and continuing to late morning, said Jason Franklin, the meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly.
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Fortunately, Tuesday’s warmth will turn the streets into low-grade hot plates, so odds are the snow won’t stick on the roads.
“The ground will be pretty warm,” said Paul Walker, a meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc.
Temperatures will battle to get out of the 30s on Wednesday and have a hard time reaching above freezing on Thursday.
Another warm-up is expected, along with rain, for the weekend.
Walker advises, however, that the forecasts are subject to change. The steering winds that drive weather across the country are in a mighty big hurry these days, and computer models are having a hard time keeping up.
They have especially struggled with overestimating rain and snow totals.
“Some of the models are too enthusiastic with precipitation amounts,” said Walker.
In other words, don’t be surprised to see changes in the Wednesday forecast.