By Rick Dandes
SUNBURY — Another winter storm is expected to roll in from the Gulf of Mexico to ring in the New Year with a mix of snow, ice and rain on Thursday night and Friday.
It will be followed by some of the coldest, nastiest weather of the season, said Andy Mussoline, a meteorologist with AccuWeather in State College.
But first, the Valley going to be hit with a blast of bitter Arctic air all day Tuesday into Wednesday morning, Mussoline added.
“Tuesday’s high will be about 28 degrees,” he said, “but it will feel like single digits because of wind speeds averaging 15 to 25 mph.”
Gusts could be as high as 40 mph throughout the day.
Tuesday night’s lows will dip to 10 degrees, with decreasing winds.
The stage is now being set for a southern storm to swing up the Atlantic seaboard late in the week with a swath of snow, ice and rain.
“Driving on New Year’s Eve could be hazardous,” Mussoline said. “By Thursday evening, a storm could be developing, with snow showers at night and steady snow on New Year’s Day.”
AccuWeather computer models are not predicting heavy snow amounts at this time, he explained.
“We’re seeing only about 2-4 inches by Friday, not more than that,” he said.
Most cities in the Interstate 95 coastal corridor, from Richmond to Philadelphia, New York and Boston, will have rain as the primary form of precipitation, after a wintry mix at the onset.
However, farther to the north and west, more snow will fall. All snow may fall over the Appalachians, where it appears there will be enough to shovel and plow.
The storm has the potential to not only disrupt New Year’s Eve festivities, but also travel through the holiday weekend.
“As we move closer to Friday, monitor local weather forecasts if you’re planning to travel,” Mussoline cautioned. “These storms sometimes have a tendency to change directions slightly to the north, which could mean more rain and sleet in the Valley than snow.”
