The latest from the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh forecasts a snowy blanket to drape over Northwestern PA's landscape tonight through Saturday. A Winter Weather Advisory is now in place for the ridges and some areas where residents can expect an average of 3-6 inches of snowfall, painting quite a distinct winter picture for the region.
Be prepared for a dramatic dip in the temperature come next Monday and Tuesday. The National Weather Service advisory details a cold front bringing in a frigid air mass set to stalk the Ohio Valley, plunging temperatures into the sullen digits, highs wallowing in the 20s on Monday and early Tuesday readings falling further to antagonize with breaths that fog in the -10 to -20F wind chills, these cold conditions combine with wind gusts from 20-30mph to heighten the chill.
Looking forward to a weather pattern through the coming week, whimsey is sidestepped in favor of straightforward climate talk; snow retains its luster with the forecast indicating that near to below normal temperatures will favor its persistence over rain, this consensus backed by ensemble guidance, as the eastern CONUS upper troughing and several low pressure systems conspire to keep meteorologists on their toes and our boots in slush.
For those taking the skies, aviation updates point to VFR conditions striving to cling on through most of this Friday, albeit grappling with gusts in the afternoon, and a short-lived warm front may threaten a tango with snow late Friday into early Saturday; the arm wrestle with visibility and ceilings ensues until snow showers infiltrate the scene, however, potential for IFR grows in the unholy hours after 06z, and with the harsh whip of cold advection, Saturday beckons MVFR ceilings and flurries to flirt throughout the afternoon.
Warnings echo through the hills and across the valleys, the Winter Weather Advisory, cast early from 7 PM this evening to 1 AM EST Sunday for counties such as Clarion, Forest, and Jefferson in PA, and similarly from 10 PM tonight to 7 PM EST Saturday for the WV ridge areas, where residents are cautioned by the NWS Pittsburgh to brace themselves for nature's frozen onslaught.
