Here is the latest on the next round of winter weather making its way through the region...
The good news, if you can call it that, is that the icy, mixed precipitation will stay primarily to the south. Areas nearby that could see ice Friday are Mercer, Venango, Clarion, and Forest Counties. The rest of the viewing area is expected to stay in the colder air, which means snow. A general 2-4" can be expected, but where the rain mixes in, you will see less accumulation.
Saturday is a little tricky. As this storm continues its progression through the region, the cold air will continue to wrap in from the North and West, however a warm push from the South will bring the possibility of sleet to some of our Eastern viewers. These areas are Warren, McKean, and Cattaraugus counties. Your precipitation will be mainly snow, it is just that sleet is also possible. Everyone else will see blowing and drifting snow with an additional 4-7".
Sunday is where the storm finally starts to pull out of the region. We will still see the potential for a couple of inches to acuumulate before all is said and done. Even though the falling snow will start to fizzle out, it will remain on the windy side, so blowing and drifting are still possible. The sunshine will start to break out later in the day on Sunday, but that will be too little too late to salvage the weekend.
Needless to say, this is going to make for one crummy weekend around the area. Plan on taking it slow all weekend long, and if you don't have to venture out in this storm, I wouldn't.
Ray Petelin,
WSEE STorm Team Meteorologist