Pittsburgh: Cold Weather to Persist Into Weekend

By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist

January 28,2015; 8:35PM,EST

 

 

Cold air will hold around Pittsburgh into the weekend as a couple of storm systems approach.
High temperatures through Friday will range from the middle 20s to the middle 30s F. The average high for the end of January and early February is in the middle 30s.
Motorists and pedestrians are urged to look out for patchy icy spots during the nighttime and morning commute hours. Where snow recently fell and melted during the day, below-freezing temperatures from the evening to the morning hours can lead to spotty black ice.
In terms of winter storms, it appears an Alberta Clipper will generally pass north of the region Thursday into Thursday night with spotty snow and rain showers locally. Moisture available to the clipper storm will be limited until it swings well to the east of the area.

Later this weekend, the track of a storm moving up from the Southwest states will hold the key as to the primary form of precipitation in western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia and western Maryland. The storm from the Southwest will have a great deal of moisture to work with and could bring a period of heavy precipitation.
The early indications are the Southwest storm will bring snow that could transition to a wintry mix.
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If arctic air that pushes in ahead of the storm this weekend holds on, then there could be more snow and perhaps an extended period of ice or wintry mix at the start of the new week.
In any case, people on the road or with departing or arriving flights should anticipate delays from late Sunday into Monday morning. The storm may still be affecting western Pennsylvania on Monday when thousands will gather to hear about the forecast for the rest of the winter from Punxsutawney Phil.
AccuWeather.com will continue to provide updates on the storm through this weekend.
A fresh dose of cold air will follow on Tuesday, regardless of Phil's prediction.