If you enjoy the sight of ice on top of the bubbling fountain in Hellertown’s Detwiller Plaza, you can expect to see some later this week, forecasters say. Cold air is on the way.
Following a brief warm-up on Tuesday, when temperatures will top out in the low 40s, the entire area will be invaded by an Arctic cold front that will plunge temperatures well below freezing for the next few days.
According to the National Weather Service extended forecast, after Tuesday’s high of 45 daytime highs in Hellertown won’t make it above the freezing mark until Saturday at the earliest.
The high temperatures for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are forecast to be a frigid 29 degrees, 31 degrees and 31 degrees, respectively.
Low temperatures in the upper teens can be expected, along with a chance of snow Wednesday night into Thursday and again on Friday, per the NWS forecast.
PA Weather Action Lead Forecaster Josh Adams posted a forecast discussion about the Wednesday-Thursday storm in which he predicted that the most snow from it will fall over southwestern Pennsylvania.
“Heaviest accumulations look to be in Southwest PA and the Laurel Highlands,” Adams said Monday. “Often times with these storms, more snow falls on the western side of the Appalachian Mountains unless a secondary coastal low forms, which won’t be the case Wednesday night.”
The Lehigh Valley area is in the area that is likeliest to receive a coating to an inch of snow–considerably less than fell over the weekend during the first storm of the season–per the forecast map included with Adams’ post.
By the weekend temperatures should once again be near normal, with highs in the mid to upper 30s; seasonal weather for the Dewey Fire Company Santa Run, which will be held in Hellertown Sunday afternoon.