This winter has been a generally mild one for the State College area, but that is expected to change this weekend.
Snow mixed with some sleet and freezing rain will hit the region on Saturday, followed by colder temperatures heading into next week, AccuWeather meteorologist Tyler Roys said.
Snow is expected to begin around 7 a.m. on Saturday and could be heavy at times through mid-morning.
‘There could be a brief break in the action closer towards noon, but as we head into the afternoon there’s going to be some snow-sleet mix. That will include some freezing rain mixing in there as well,’ Roys said. ‘It’s going to be tough traveling tomorrow, especially for those traveling long distances. In terms of the State College area, if you’re looking for a period of where the heaviest snow is likely to occur, it’s likely going to be early to mid-morning.’
AccuWeather expects 2-4 inches before the storm moves out of the area. Roys said the storm should wrap up around 7-8 p.m., with some lingering freezing drizzle afterward.
The National Weather Service at State College has issued a winter weather advisory for 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and forecasts 3-5 inches. The Weather Channel is predicting 5-8 inches.
After the snow moves out, temperatures are expected to remain below freezing for several days.
‘We’re expecting a quick cold blast to come through, so following this storm temperatures are generally going to remain in the 20s for highs until the second half of next week,’ Roys said.
So far this winter, temperatures have been, on average, above normal. While December started out chilly, warmer weather between Christmas and New Year’s pushed the month to 1.6 degrees above normal.
January, has been especially warm, at 10 degrees above normal as of Thursday, Roys said .
‘This month has been well above normal. There’s only been two days so far that we’ve been below normal, January 8 and 9,’ Roys said.
