Rainy weather replaced with snow, blast of arctic air late week

PITTSBURGH — Rain hammered much of the Pittsburgh area Tuesday, while freezing rain and ice knocked down trees and power lines across part of the ridges.

Even though Wednesday was fairly quiet, it was the transition day between what will seem like the flip of a switch.

While the early part of the week brought rain and seasonal temperatures, the end of the week will be a much different story.

Lake-effect snow showers will start back up Thursday and continue Friday. These types of snow showers occur when colder air crosses over the warmer, unfrozen waters of Lake Erie.

“The mountains and I-80 corridor are the typical places for accumulation, but I do expect some whitening of the ground in the rest of the area,” said Severe Weather Team 11 Meteorologist Scott Harbaugh.

In addition to the snow, an arctic blast of air will move into western Pennsylvania for the latter half of the week. High temperatures won’t make it out of the 30s for several days.

With sustained winds into the teens and gusts reaching 20 mph or more, wind chills will be dropping fast.

Thursday will feel like the 20s throughout the day with wind chills dropping into the teens by the evening. There will be an 18 hour period where wind chills are in the teens or even colder.

Early risers Friday morning will wake up with temperatures feeling like they are in the 10s or even single digits. Wind chills will struggle to make it out of the teens all day.

There isn’t much improvement over the weekend. Saturday will remain cold with a few flurries possible. By Sunday, another system moves in, bringing rain and snow showers back to the area.

Watch Channel 11 News for Severe Weather Team 11's updated forecast and DOWNLOAD the Severe Weather Team 11 app for the latest changes on-the-go.

Cox Media Group