- Sunny day today
- Comfortable temps for late January
- Big storm brewing for Saturday
Surface Analysis
Right now we are seeing some showers in the Midwest that will weaken as they head east. Cold front dropping down from the Plains.
Surface Analysis Continued
If we strip away the radar, we can see some early features of the big winter storm coming together. We have some low pressure areas in the SW US, cold front dropping from the Plains, and these will meet up in the southeast to form our storm. That’s an Arctic front dropping down with very cold temps.
But for today…
Highs in the low 30s in the city all the way into the immediate burbs. 20s up in the mountains.
Big Storm Brewing
The OPC has indicated hurricane force winds expected just offshore with the rapidly deepening low expected Saturday. A lot of the talk is snow, but this one is going to be a powerful storm. Depending on how close it gets, we could see significant tidal flooding too.
Computer Models
There is some ambiguity regarding coastal low development. Some models take it well off the coast. Others, like the NAM are close enough to drop 4-6″ of snow in Philly. It’s still a little early for snowfall amounts. Right now it appears Atlantic City is in a good spot for a large amount of snow.
Right now the NAM takes the storm and explosively develops it. The model brings it down to 962 mb, which is on par to a Category 3 hurricane.
This system does appear to be partial 3 phased system – meaning we get Arctic, Pacific/Subtropical, and some tropical influences combining into 1 storm.
Stay tuned to my Twitter for continued updates!
Philadelphia Weather Authority 