Three More Chances of Snow Before Spring Finally Arrives

It's April...and it's snowing.

I'm sure "April" and "snow" are not two words that you want to hear in the same sentence, but that's what we've seen here in Happy Valley over the past couple of days and should continue to see over the next week. Fortunately, the "end" is in sight for these cold temperatures and snow chances - by the end of next week we should have temperatures returning to where they should be for this time of the year.

Looking out of the Walker Building on Monday morning at the beautiful snow covered trees

Waking up on Monday morning to start your work or school week, I'm sure that seeing 4.5 inches of snow on the ground was not expected for most (unless you're a weather weenie and saw this coming a few days ahead of time). Monday morning's snowstorm was pretty to look at, however. People were snapping pictures on their way to class as the wet, heavy snow stuck to tree branches and grassy surfaces, making Happy Valley look like a winter wonderland again. Even though more than 4 inches was on the ground at the start of the day, all of it was practically gone by the time that the sun set on Monday evening - above freezing temperatures and a higher April sun angle will do that.

Just how unusual was it for this amount of snow this late in the season? It broke the record for the most snowfall ever recorded on April 2nd in State College and was a greater amount than the total amount of snow that has fallen over the past ten Aprils combined. Additionally, it was the biggest April snowfall in State College since 1982.

Officially 4.5" at the PSU COOP site this morning. A daily record, and more snow than has fallen in the last 10 Aprils combined (Total 2008-2017 = 1.9") #pawx

— Steve Seman (@SteveSeman) April 2, 2018

The #snow total of 4.5" at the PSU Co-op site is the biggest April calendar day snowfall since 1982, and the first 4" or greater April snowfall since 1993 #pawx #ctpwx

— Weather World (@WeatherWorldPSU) April 2, 2018

The thing that may be even more surprising is that we could add to our 2018 April snow total over the next several days. Arctic air will linger in the Northeast until the middle of next week setting the stage for additional snowfall, especially over this weekend.

Expect travel delays to occur with these systems as well as delays for baseball (we already saw both the Yankees and Mets have a "snow out" on Monday, and the Nationals might have to do the same this weekend). Keep in mind that this comes right after we saw a few flashes of lightning and claps of thunder in central Pennsylvania on Tuesday night, so definitely some bizarre spring weather happening right now.

The first snow threat moves through quickly Thursday night into Friday putting down a quick coating to an inch of snow in most places. Again, this will be a wet and slushy snow and will melt by the end of the day on Friday. Nonetheless, it will be a nuisance for travel and a quick reminder that winter is still here.

The snow associated with a warm front will bring small snow accumulations to the northeast - Credit: Weather Optics

The second, and most significant, snow threat comes on this Saturday. Models currently have the majority of this storm passing to the south of central Pennsylvania, however, things could certainly change between now and Saturday. Places like southeastern PA, northern NJ, New York City, and southern New England are likely to see the most snow out of this system. Here in State College we're expecting less snow, but the threat is still high enough for Relay for Life to move their activities inside the HUB for this weekend. Stay up to date with this system since a small shift in the track, depending on where the jet stream sets up, could move the snow further north or further south.

Areas where snow could fall on Saturday into Saturday night - Credit: AccuWeather

The final (hopefully) chance of snow comes on Monday night, where a mix of rain and snow, or maybe just snow, could fall. Lots of details still need to be ironed out with this disturbance, but we will continue to monitor it.

In terms of temperatures, our high temperatures for this time of the year should be in the mid-to-upper 50s and we'll be nowhere near that for the majority of the next seven days. Highs should only get into the upper 30s and lower 40s until next Thursday when a noticeable change is forecasted to occur. Temperatures will finally return to the upper 50s and maybe even reach 60 degrees. It will certainly feel like a heat wave compared to what we've been dealing with over the past month or so. NOAA's Climate Prediction Center demonstrates this on the map below with the orange colors finally over the eastern United States, indicating warmer temperatures for between April 12 and April 18. And, luckily, it looks like the warmth will stick around this time. Think warm thoughts!

CPC finally forecasting warmer temperatures beginning at the end of next week - Credit: Pivotal Weather