BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The snowstorm over which forecasters have speculated for the past week is expected to dump just 1 to 3 three inches on the Lehigh Valley tomorrow.
The bulk of the storm's action will take place in the Central Plains and the Mid-Atlantic region, according to the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center.
Those areas will see heavy snow, damaging ice and freezing rain, the center said.
Winter weather advisories fall just outside of the area, including in Berks and Montgomery counties, with a Hazardous Weather Outlook issued northwest in Schuylkill County. In those areas, weather is expected to create slipper and hazardous travel conditions.National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center
Winter weather advisories fall just outside of the area, including in Berks and Montgomery counties, with a Hazardous Weather Outlook issued northwest in Schuylkill County.
In those areas, weather is expected to create slippery and hazardous travel conditions.
The Lehigh Valley could see snow accumulations tonight of less than half an inch.
Heavier snow amounting to 1-3 inches is expected to fall before 2 p.m. Monday, and Monday night could see an additional coating of less than half an inch.
EPAWA meteorologist Bobby Martrich said the Lehigh Valley and central New Jersey areas will see less snow than initially anticipated in his weekend video forecast on Jan. 4.
Highest amounts of snowfall will occur in the southernmost parts of the Valley, according to the EPAWA snowfall map.
Dry air to cut snow totals
The NWS area forecast discussion says "Arctic high pressure from Canada" — an air mass that the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration describes as "very cold and dry air" — "will influence our weather through most of tonight."
Snowfall totals should be cut because of "dry air," which can cause snow to evaporate before it hits the ground through sublimation, where the snow turns into water vapor.
That happens because dry air can absorb more moisture, preventing snow from accumulating as it normally would and instead "drying up" before it reaches the ground.
Areas south of Pennsylvania — Maryland, Delaware and Virginia — are expected to see upwards of 6 to 10 inches of snow.
The Storm Prediction Center says the snowstorm will create blizzard conditions in parts of Kansas and Missouri, with wind gusts of more than 40 mph and snowfall of more than 15 inches — "the heaviest in a decade."
Weather in the Lehigh Valley will be more still, with west winds up to 5 mph tonight, calm winds tomorrow and gusts later Monday night up to 20 mph.
