Winter isn’t done yet: Snow returns to Philly region Thursday

Temps have cooled off Wednesday morning, setting us up for a winter storm expected to bring snow starting Thursday.

This story originally appeared on NBC10.

Wintry weather isn’t done with the Philadelphia region just yet as a winter storm that is expected to drop snow on much of the region moves in later this week.

The snow is likely to begin Thursday morning as part of a 24-hour-long system that lingers into Friday morning. This follows weeks now of snowy and icy weather around the Philadelphia region.

The storm will pick up more moisture along the East Coast before it gets to our region early Thursday. It is expected to bring at least some snow to most of the region from northern Delaware and South Jersey to the Lehigh Valley.

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A First Alert for accumulating snow goes into effect at 4 a.m. Thursday and lasts until noon Friday.

Here is what we know, at this point, about the coming storm.

What’s the timing of the storm?

Wednesday is the day to get any errands done as it will be cold —with temps struggling to break the freezing mark — but will remain clear.

The key to this storm is when changeovers from snow to wintry mix to ice to rain happen in each neighborhood. The exact timing of that will come into focus in the hours ahead.

The storm is expected to start as snow across the majority of the Delaware and Lehigh valleys around daybreak Thursday. You can then expect accumulating snow through the morning rush and into late morning as the ground will be cold and anything that falls will stick to untreated surfaces.

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Snow is expected to continue — heavy at times — throughout the day from the I-95 Corridor through the Lehigh Valley and Berks County. Driving conditions could become hazardous at the peak of the storm.

But, as many storms do around here, warmer ocean air will eventually come in, at least at levels above the ground. This will set us up for a change to an icy mix, which could stretch all the way through the area at one point, but is less likely to the north and west. Some areas will warm enough to change to rain, but the details on that are not clear at this time.

The storm is expected to move out Friday morning, but not before more lighter accumulation.

The specifics on exact timing should come together in the hours to come.

How much snow might fall?

The track the storm is taking as of midday Tuesday, brings snow to most of the area come Thursday.

There is a moderate chance for around 6 inches of snow in Philadelphia, in the immediate suburbs and along the I-95 Corridor. There is a high chance for 6-plus inches of snow in the upper suburbs, Berks County and Lehigh Valley. Points to the south and east will likely get less accumulation.

Keep checking back as we will have focused snow total maps.

What about the weekend

Expect a mostly dry and chilly weekend through the Philadelphia region.

Highs will struggle to get out of the low to mid-30s both Saturday and Sunday. You should get sunshine each day, however, which could help a little bit with melting, but not much.

Expect refreezing overnight as temps drop into the teens in many neighborhoods.

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