Centre County Expected to See First Significant Snowfall of the Season

Updated 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022.

This winter in Centre County has been light on measurable snow, but that is likely to change on Sunday night.

The National Weather Service at State College has issued a winter weather advisory from Sunday afternoon through Monday afternoon in Centre County and much of central Pennsylvania.

Tom Kines, AccuWeather senior meteorologist, said Centre County is expected to see about 6 to 10 inches of snow from the storm, which likely will hit the area early in the evening on Sunday and continue until early Monday morning. AccuWeather also forecasts about a tenth of an inch of ice.

Motorists should avoid any unnecessary travel on Sunday night and early Monday.

“I am sure traveling will be very difficult Sunday night and for that matter Monday morning,” Kines said. “I’m sure it’s going to be a slow-go, if not a no-go, on Monday morning.”

As of Saturday afternoon, the National Weather Service forecasts 4 to 6 inches of snow and a tenth of an inch of ice.

PennDOT anticipates vehicle restrictions will be in place on Sunday night for state routes and interstates, including I-99 and I-80 through Centre County. Travelers should check 511pa.com for updates on vehicle and speed restrictions and road conditions.

Kines expects the heaviest snow to occur before 2 a.m. It will be a dry, fluffy snow — but if more sleet mixes in than anticipated it will make for lower snow totals and more difficult shoveling.

“If there’s more sleet than we expect then that could pull amounts down closer to the 6-inch amount as opposed to the 10-inch,” Kines said. “The downside of the sleet would be if there’s a three- or four-hour period of sleet, all of the sudden that makes what would be a very shovelable snow and turns it into a very difficult situation. It’s a lot easier to shovel 4 or 5 inches of snow than it is a couple inches of sleet.”

Either way, it should surpass the local snow total for the season so far. Only 4.3 inches of snow has been recorded this winter in the State College area, according to the Penn State Joel N. Myers Weather Center.

“This would be our first so-called snow storm of the season, and hopefully our only one,” Kines said.

Accumulating snow will likely be over by Monday morning, though some lingering snow showers and drifting could occur throughout the day.

For most of the weekend, it will be very cold — with highs on Saturday and Sunday in the low 20s and low on Saturday in the single digit — but free of precipitation.

“If you have plans for this weekend during the daytime hours you’ll be fine,” Kines said. “The snow shouldn’t get here until late in the day on Sunday. If you have plans… you should be good to go for a good chunk of the weekend.”