The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh has issued a synopsis forecasting a bracing day for the city. Cold and gusty conditions are expected to prevail in the wake of a cold front, and a warming trend is on the way as we head into the weekend. Pittsburghers should anticipate a return of rain starting Saturday night, extending chances of precipitation into the early part of next week, the National Weather Service reported.
Early risers faced a brisk start this Thursday, with the winter weather advisories being canceled as of the 7 AM update. Light snow is saying its goodbyes north of Pittsburgh. Still, residents should beware of the Wind Advisory in place for eastern Tucker that warns of winds gusting up to 55mph, especially in elevations above 3,000 feet. However, the advisory is set to expire at 7 pm this evening, with probabilities for gusts over 46mph decreasing after that, with winds and the cold combined expected to push wind chills near-zero in the ridges and teens or single digits elsewhere in Pittsburgh throughout the day.
Looking into the short term, Friday through Friday night, the weather narrative shifts towards drier and milder conditions, although temperatures are predicted to remain around 10 degrees below average. A weak wave might drop in some light snow showers early Friday morning. Still, as it stands, the snow talk might remain that - talk, with the boundary layer moisture not recovering favorably, as per the National Weather Service’s forecast discussion.
Moving on to the weekend and beyond, Pittsburgh can look toward a mild uptick in temperatures, getting back to seasonable averages and potentially above, with the chances of precipitation creeping back into the picture as early as Saturday night. However, any concerns for significant winter weather impacts remain low. The continuation of weaker weather systems passing through will maintain rain probabilities into the early part of next week, with a slightly cooler trend possibly emerging by mid-week.
For those with an eye to the sky, VFR conditions are expected to persist at the Pittsburgh airport, with strong gusts subsiding as the evening approaches. Meanwhile, aviation restrictions are likely to make a comeback come Saturday with the arrival of a new disturbance, which is confidently expected to result in rain rather than snow thanks to the warming trends on the horizon, the National Weather Service's aviation outlook suggests.
