Punxsutawney Phil predicted a longer winter, and based on what we have in store this week, it looks like the famous groundhog wasn’t too far off with his forecast. More snow will hit the area on Monday and will only be the beginning of a stormy week.
A winter storm warning will be in effect for Philadelphia and the I-95 corridor from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday. The heaviest snow is expected to hit Philly with estimated totals of 5 to 9 inches.
Sunday is the calm before the storm with mild conditions and temperatures in the low 40’s to early 50’s. The comfortable weather will end however when a wintry mix moves into the area early Monday morning. The mix will change to snow that will last until the late afternoon.
The storm will start as rain in most of the area but then change to snow from north to south between 2 a.m. to 9 a.m. As temperatures drop, the snow will get heavier and begin to stick on untreated roads during the morning rush. The snow combined with low visibility will make driving difficult.
"This will be a much 'wetter' snow than previous storms," said NBC10 Chief Meteorologist Glenn "Hurricane' Schwartz. "Temps will only drop slowly to around 30, so whenever the snow lets up, travel may become much easier."
Several towns are already preparing. Cheltenham Township declared a snow emergency that will begin at 8 a.m. on Monday. All parked vehicles will be removed from snow emergency routes and only vehicles with snow/all-weather tires will be allowed to travel on them. Trash and recycling won't be collected on Monday and will be one day behind the normal schedule this week.
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Timeline
2 a.m. – 4 a.m. – Wintry mix moves in
4 a.m. – 12 p.m. – Wintry mix turns to snow
12 p.m. – 4 p.m. – Snow
4 p.m. – 6 p.m. - Snow tapers off
Estimated Totals
Philly/I-95 Corridor – 5 to 9 inches
N&W Suburbs – 3 to 6 inches
Lehigh Valley – 3 to 6 inches
South Jersey – 3 to 6 inches
South Delaware – Up to 1 inch
Poconos – 2 to 3 inches
Monday’s snow will be just the beginning of a stormy week. From Tuesday night through Wednesday there could be a wintry mix that will then change to rain. The period of freezing rain could create slippery roads.
"This one will have more moisture than #1 and have a much greater contrast across the area," Glenn said. "South Jersey, Delaware and Philadelphia should get just about all rain, but it could be more than an inch of it. That, plus temps getting into the 40s will melt a lot of snow and potentially cause flooding problems. This could also lead to some river flooding, due to ice jams at some point."
Areas in the north and west suburbs will have different problems Tuesday night. Snow will move in after 7 p.m. Tuesday and then change to freezing rain sometime after midnight. It may change to all rain after 10 a.m. on Wednesday.
Right now it's not clear how much snow will fall compared to freezing rain during the second storm.
"The worst case would be a majority of the precipitation falling as freezing rain, which would lead to ice accumulating on trees and power lines on top of the snow already there from storm #1," Glenn said.
The snow will add weight to the trees and power lines leading to the potential for power outages. If there are areas that don't eventually change to rain, the travel problems will continue since temperatures will drop into the 20's Tuesday night.
Finally, a third system will move into the area Friday night into Saturday morning. Glenn says the track of that storm will be determined by what the second storm does.
Stay with NBC10.com for the latest forecasts, timelines and weather alerts.
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