The Commonwealth seems closer than ever to escaping this very drawn-out winter pattern. While we got our first hints at Springtime temperatures last weekend, the following work week was not as kind, as temperatures hovered around the upper 30s and low 40s, and several rounds of rain passed through midweek.

Friday’s conditions feature a steep temperature gradient across the Commonwealth. A warm air mass is slowly rolling in, and while higher elevations in the eastern reaches may still be near freezing, regions in the west are currently seeing temperatures climb to the low-60s. Fog has held steady through the morning hours, covering a very large percentage of the state. When this burns off, another round of showers is possible in the afternoon, with clouds remaining into the night.

Saturday will see temperatures soar to near or at the 70 degree mark, alongside a bit more sun. This will precede another cold front, and with it, our first convective activity of the year. A line of showers and thunderstorms is expected to roll from one end of the Commonwealth to the other in the afternoon and evening. Temperatures will drop again to the mid-50s on Sunday, although we will finally see some more consistent sunshine, and can finally look forward to a fair weather pattern and above-average temperatures across the region.

A wintry mess moved through the Commonwealth Tuesday, spreading snow, sleet, and freezing rain throughout the day. Areas of the central mountains picked up as much as 0.2″ of ice accretion. As the day went on, most areas outside of the higher elevations switched over to plain rain as temperatures increased.

Wednesday will feature cloudy skies and light mist and drizzle. Temperatures will rise above average again with most of the Commonwealth reaching the 50s for highs.

Another round of steady rainfall moves in on Thursday, with most regions of the Commonwealth picking up over a half inch of precipitation. This is much needed rainfall as the majority of Pennsylvania is currently under drought conditions. Rain will continue through much of the day, and could feature some isolated downpours. Keep the umbrella handy!

A potent winter storm brought double-digit snowfall totals across much of eastern Pennsylvania. Western regions, including Pittsburgh and Erie, only received totals up to an inch, while totals gradually increased eastward with a couple inches in State College and 4-5″ in the Harrisburg area.

These high precipitation amounts were a result of a coastal low that traveled northward up the East Coast throughout the weekend, bringing in plenty of moisture off of the Atlantic Ocean. Although the heaviest snowfall has passed, a few regions in the Poconos and Philadelphia metro area are still under winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings, respectively.

Turning to the rest of the week, the sun will briefly return tomorrow before another low pressure system moves through on Wednesday. This mixed precipitation event will bring a few inches of snowfall to western PA, although areas impacted by this weekend’s storm should not expect to add much to their snowpack, as precipitation will likely change over to rain as it heads eastward. Temperatures will slowly begin to climb after Wednesday, with the 50 degree mark in sight for many over the weekend.

This past weekend saw some misty conditions mixed with early morning fog, headlined by a warming trend on Sunday. A few passing showers made their way through State College, tapering off in the evening to some mostly cloudy conditions.

Temperatures finally start to break into the 50s, with a light wind keeping conditions mild. Rain showers cannot be ruled out heading into the evening, with areas of fog lingering over the area.

The remainder of the week brings similar temperatures, with rain being the name of the game all the way into Friday night. By the end of the weekend, snow chances are possible following dropping temperatures.