By Rick Dandes
SUNBURY — A blizzardlike storm beginning late tonight and continuing through most of Wednesday will likely dump an additional 4 to 8 inches of snow in the Valley, a meteorologist said Monday.
Mike Pigott, a meteorologist with AccuWeather in State College, noted that much of the region already has 8 inches of snow on the ground from the snowstorm that began Friday.
“It’s highly unusual to have two snow blizzards so close together,” he said. “But that is exactly what we are seeing.”
The Selinsgrove weather station measured 8.1 inches of snow on Saturday.
There is much more to come, Pigott said.
Valley residents should start seeing the first flakes late afternoon today, but the storm will grow in intensity overnight into Wednesday.
“I think the worst of it will be at rush hour Wednesday morning, with winds gusting to 40 mph, creating drifting snow,” Pigott said. “People should be prepared for slow or even no travel Wednesday, as the storm hits its peak. It will be very windy, very dangerous on the roads. Stay off the roads if you can.”
Temperatures in the 20s, strong winds and deep, powdery snow could make this the worst of the two storms even in areas that were hit hard by the last storm.
Wednesday’s high temperature will hit 32 degrees, with a low of 20 degrees. But with 40 mph winds, it will feel like 10 degrees, Pigott added.
Some areas of the state might even break their all-time snow records.
Philadelphia’s all-time high for winter is 65.5 inches of snow; the city is already at 56.3 inches.
“This snowstorm will likely break the record in Philadelphia,” Pigott said.
