The Jersey Shore could see several inches of snow on Thursday night, and again late Saturday, forecasters say.
The chance of frozen precipitation closer to Philadelphia is less likely, but still possible, according to the National Weather Service.
Meanwhile, Wednesday looks to be the nicest day for a while, with sunny skies and temperatures rising into the high 40s or low 50s. But that will be a distant memory on the weekend, with temperatures below freezing Saturday and down to 18 degrees at night. It gets even colder on Sunday and Monday – low- to mid-teens – with gusty winds.
Forecasters said a low pressure system will form off the Carolina coast late Thursday and head northeast. Another low pressure system is expected to form in the Gulf of Mexico and move northeast to near the Carolina coast on Saturday before moving out to sea. A large area of high pressure will then build down from Canada for the beginning of next week.
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Here's the National Weather Service forecast for Philadelphia:
Tuesday: Rain, mainly after noon. Areas of dense fog before 1 p.m. High near 49. East wind 8 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tuesday night: Rain likely, mainly before 8 p.m. Patchy fog after 8 p.m. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 43. Northeast wind 5 to 7 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 53. West wind 7 to 14 mph.
Wednesday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 28. West wind 11 to 15 mph.
Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 37.
Thursday night: A chance of snow after 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Friday: A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 34. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.
Friday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23.
Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 32.
Saturday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 28.
Sunday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 16.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 30.