A shot of bitterly cold Arctic air will invade eastern Pennsylvania by Thursday, the National Weather Service warned in a hazardous weather outlook Tuesday.
“Wind chill values as low as 5 to 10 degrees below zero are possible, especially in the higher elevations, Thursday night,” it said. “Wind gusts could approach 45 mph Thursday and Thursday night (and) a wind advisory may be required.”
Thursday night’s low temperature is forecast to be around 10 degrees in Hellertown.
Friday’s high temperature is only expected to reach the lower 20s, before another storm system moves into the region bringing with it a chance of snow and freezing rain Friday night before a changeover to rain Saturday, according to the NWS forecast.
Eastern PA Weather Authority meteorologist Bobby Martrich said in Tuesday’s forecast discussion for the Lehigh Valley that “very cold temperatures (will) settle in on Thursday and Friday as a piece of the Polar Vortex (lobe) breaks off and rotates through the area. Another system approaches the region Friday night, and there is little doubt that it starts off as snow with a very cold antecedent airmass in place, but depending on track, could change to a mix or even rain at some point Saturday morning.”
The website PA Weather Action warned in a Facebook post Tuesday that, with colder air in place, “ice could play a big role in areas all the way to the Maryland line” during the next storm.
After warmer temperatures over the weekend, another storm is expected to approach the area, bringing precipitation with it and another drop in temperatures.
