BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A frigid January that saw a brutal cold snap will end with the Lehigh Valley under a winter weather advisory.
The National Weather Service issued the bulletin in effect from 2 a.m. to 9 a.m. Friday for freezing rain, with total ice accumulations up to a tenth of an inch possible.
The advisory covers parts of northern New Jersey and east central and northeast Pennsylvania, including Lehigh and Northampton counties, mainly near and north of Interstate 78.
The setup
Precipitation is expected to overspread the region from southwest to northeast after midnight and through the early morning hours on Friday.
“For the most part, temperatures will be above freezing, and this is not a cold air damming setup," the weather service said in its latest forecast discussion.
"However, there should be just enough cold air at the surface for a period of freezing rain.”
Forecasters said evaporative cooling also could let freezing temperatures hold on through about daybreak, and the morning commute could be affected.
“Even as far south as the Lehigh Valley, you’ll have some wintry precipitation move in that is going to be in the frozen form,” EPAWA meteorologist Bobby Martrich said in his latest video update.
By late morning, temperatures are expected to be above freezing regionwide, with periods of rain expected through the day Friday.
Rainfall amounts will generally be a half-inch to an inch, with temperatures pushing into the upper 40s to near 50 degrees.
Experts: Rain is needed
While the region got some beneficial rains in November and December, January has been much drier than normal. Thus, drought remains, including moderate to severe drought in the Lehigh Valley.
“The snowfall we have received this month has not been particularly beneficial. Given the very cold conditions, the snowpack has largely been sublimating [evaporating] directly into the air, rather than melting and slowly soaking into the ground over time.”National Weather Service, on social media
“The snowfall we have received this month has not been particularly beneficial,” the weather service said on social media.
“Given the very cold conditions, the snowpack has largely been sublimating [evaporating] directly into the air, rather than melting and slowly soaking into the ground over time.”
Forecasters said we’ll need to get several big rainfall events in the coming months to relieve the drought conditions heading into spring. Snowfall events with melting snowpack would be beneficial, as well.
The Lehigh Valley's deficit in January is nearly 2.5 inches, with the water year to date at minus 7.64 inches — our third-driest water year on record thus far.
The water year is a 12-month period that's used to track water supply and high flow statistics. It begins Oct. 1 and ends Sept. 30 of the following year.
