January 26, 2018
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
Commuters wait in the snow at a bus stop near 12th and Market streets in Center City Philadelphia on Dec. 15, 2017.
There's good and bad in the forecast, and here's the brief, positive news first.
Unseasonable temperatures will rise toward 60 degrees on Saturday under increasingly cloudy skies as winds pick up out of the southwest at 7 to 14 mph, and gusts approaching 30 mph.
Beyond the afternoon, however, precipitation will rule the weekend weather, with a potential for snow early next week.
Rain and snow are possible through Tuesday. From Saturday night into Sunday night it should be rain, says the National Weather Service.
On Monday – and into Tuesday – the rain is expected to change to snow, as temperatures fall. If the precipitation continues into Tuesday, it will likely be snow.
The timing of the switch from rain to snow is up in the air at this point, but it could happen early enough to impact the Monday afternoon commute, forecasters said. If snow lingers into Tuesday, that morning rush also would be affected.
Forecasters said there is a lack of certainty regarding the weather system. If confidence increases in a snow event, a snow amount forecast will be issued by Sunday.
Here is the 7-day forecast from the weather service:
Friday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 30. South wind around 6 mph.
Saturday: Increasing clouds, with a high near 56. Southwest wind 7 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
Saturday night: Rain likely, mainly after 1 a.m. Cloudy, with a low around 45. Southwest wind 9 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Sunday: Rain likely, mainly before 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 55. Southwest wind around 6 mph becoming light and variable in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Sunday night: A slight chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.
Monday: A slight chance of snow before 8 a.m., then a slight chance of rain and snow between 8 and 9 a.m., with a a slight chance of rain afterwards. Partly sunny, with a high near 44. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.
Monday night: A chance of snow after 7 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.
Tuesday: A chance of snow before 1 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 34. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.
Tuesday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 18.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 35.
Wednesday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 27.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 47.
Thursday night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent.
Friday: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 47. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent.
