Some bitter cold air took hold of the Commonwealth during the first half of the week. Wind speeds remained relatively breezy bringing wind chill values well below zero. These cold conditions were only amplified by a few clouds and the snow we received earlier in the week.

A slightly warm-up begins to make its way across the state. Still below freezing, we are heading back to near average temperatures for this time of year. The weekend brings the most promising return, nearing the freezing mark.

After the weekend and beginning the next work week, winds begin to pick up, keeping more cold air around. The middle part of the week may introduce some snow showers as a low pressure system approaches from the west. Keep those hats and gloves handy as the cold is going no where any time soon!

A few inches of snow (along with relatively average temperatures) were brought to the Commonwealth during a winter low-pressure system on Saturday. Afterwards, temperatures plummeted Sunday and have continued through Monday with below zero temperatures overnight into Tuesday. Along with the cold temperatures, a high pressure system has been in the region keeping us dry. Wind has also been an issue, with wind speeds ranging from 5-15 mph, bringing hazardous wind chills to our region.

A cold front will move through the region tonight into tomorrow, continuing our chilly conditions with the lowest temperatures expected tonight into Wednesday morning, with the chance of lows reaching -10F . Following the cold front’s departure, high pressure will enter our region — keeping all of the state dry, but still cold. Temperatures will rebound as we head into Thursday with temperatures hovering in the mid-20s.

During the early-Wednesday morning hours , lake effect snow will begin to affect isolated portions of the I-90 corridor, lasting until the evening. For the rest of the state, high pressure will persist until Friday morning, with temperatures back into January’s averages. Friday morning brings a cold front, where high pressure quickly follows behind and lasts for the weekend.

After a quick hitting snowfall throughout the day on Thursday, plenty of melting occurred on Friday, as temperatures peaked into the mid 30s to low 40s across the Commonwealth. Although many of these high temperatures were close to seasonal averages for this time of the year, conditions felt much more mild compared to the cold beginning of the week. Pleasant conditions were felt across much of the state, as early morning clouds subsided and gave way to more sunshine in the afternoon.

A pleasant day on Friday will be followed up by sloppy conditions on Saturday, as our next weather maker moves in, spreading a wintry mix across the Commonwealth. Snow will spread across the northwest region of the state from west to east during the morning hours. Although not much accumulation is expected, some spots may become slick. Precipitation will spread across the southwestern portion of the state, where up to a quarter of an inch of rain is expected with some snowflakes mixing into the higher elevations. The eastern half of the state can expect sprinkles of rain and some occasional flurries in the Poconos.

As the latter half of Martin Luther King Weekend arrives, we are watching a potential coastal snowmaker, with a widespread plowable snowfall likely across eastern Pennsylvania. Depending on the position of this system off the coast, some areas of central Pennsylvania may tap into the snowfall, with the western third of the state likely to remain dry. Following this snowmaker, an arctic air mass will drop temperatures into the single digits after the Monday holiday, with wind chill temperatures for the middle of next week dropping as low as 30 degrees below 0.