Fat Tuesday: It’s The Cold Winter’s Fault

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Although many of you probably cursed this morning as you got out of your warm bed and ready for school/work, there is some hope in the near future. This morning will probably be the coldest morning for at least the next 10 days if not the rest of Winter. This weekend into early next week will warm up to temperatures closer to normal (40s in western PA; 50s near DC). It will be brief but it shows that winter is starting to thaw out. With thawing, I wonder about flooding concerns with the ice jam on Oil Creek heading into this weekend and early next week with temperatures reaching to above freezing.
Current (~7am) Temperatures:
  • Erie, PA:  0
  • Franklin, PA: 0
  • New Castle, PA: 0
  • Butler, PA:  3
  • Pittsburgh (KAGC): 8
  • Uniontown, PA: -1
  • State College, PA: 7
  • Frederick, MD: 1
  • BWI Airport, MD:  8
  • DC (KDCA):  20; Wind Chill: 5

Forecast:

Western PA:

Main threat: Cold, Wind Chills Below 0

  • Today: Partly sunny. Highs: 20s/low 30s Overnight Lows: Single digits/Teens
  • Wednesday:  Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of snow, mainly in the north. Highs: 20s/Low 30s Overnight Lows: Teens
  • Thursday: Partly cloudy. Highs: Upper 20s/30s Overnight Lows:20s

DC Region: 

Main threat: Cold, Snow/ice covered side roads

  • Today:  Partly sunny  Highs: Upper 20s/Low 30s Overnight Lows: Teens/Low 20s
  • Wednesday: Mostly sunny Highs: 30s/Low 40s Overnight Lows: 20s
  • Thursday: Slight chance of rain and snow late.  Afternoon Highs: Upper 30s/40s Overnight Lows: 20s/Low 30s

Good News: Slight relief as temperatures trend closer to normal briefly this weekend into early next week.

Bad News: Cold early on. Although not as strong, the cold pattern in the eastern U.S. doesn’t look to shift much.