THE EAGLES ARE SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS!!!!!
Amazing. That was just ... breathtaking.
So, focusing on Wednesday's weather: it's going to be a lot like Sunday. Snow, then freezing rain. Slippery driving.
Here's my call, subject to updates / tweaks:
Precipitation begins as snow between 5 and 7am Wednesday.
Sometime between 11 and 1, snow will mix with sleet (frozen pellets) and freezing rain.
Freezing rain (rain that freezes onto surfaces) becomes plain rain (rain that just stays water even when it hits the ground). Expect this to happen between 2 and 4.
And there may even be some mixing back to snow as precipitation ends between 8 and 10pm.
Accumulation: 2 to 4 inches of snow, with .1 to .2 inch of icy crust on top. (This is for Berks. Northern Berks, Schuylkill County, and the Poconos could get higher amounts.)
In Philadelphia and its immediate suburbs, central and south Jersey, and even Lancaster, expect little to no snow accumulation, but (potentially more hazardous) extended periods of sleet and freezing rain.
Impacts: slippery travel, especially on secondary roads, driveways, and lots. Expect hazardous travel between 8am and 2pm.
Schools: timing and temperature are everything, which is usually true with winter forecasting, but especially in this case.
Chance of delay Wednesday, 11.31%
Chance of cancellation Wednesday, 38.14%
Chance of early dismissal Wednesday, 16.52%
Chance of delay Thursday, 67.33%
Chance of cancellation Thursday, 11.22% [note - I forecast the weather. My percentage for Thursday does not account for area schools that may actually close for the Eagles Super Bowl parade.]
Stay tuned for updates!
SUPER BOWL LII FORECAST
All credit for this brilliant image goes to Trevor Wagner, former student and current friend, who, in a Facebook post, referred to Bill Belichick as "Mama Fratelli in a hoodie." I Googled the genius phrase and lo and behold, someone had made the comparison, because it's the internet and of course someone had made this. If I Googled "Stratford-upon-Avon diaper rash walrus," I'm sure something would come up, and I'm positive I wouldn't want to see it.I'm just a little bit excited about the Eagles being in their third-ever Super Bowl and, I predict, finally winning the damn thing.
Eagles 27, Patriots 10.
Now to the weather. We got some proper snow this morning into early afternoon. I expected light snow showers before a rapid changeover to plain rain. And yet, there it was, proper snowing as I drove to Corropolese to pick up my tomato pie for the big game.
So if you're reading this on Sunday afternoon, some secondary roads are still slick - there's a solid coating of snow with a freezing-rain crust on top. But as temperatures rise into the mid and upper 30s and plain rain predominates, expect roads to be just fine.
Rain is finished by 7-8pm. Temperatures will dip into the upper 20s overnight and it'll be windy as (deflated) balls by AM commute time. But I don't expect to see many delays - especially given the fact that we may be looking at a snow day midweek.
Chance of delay Monday 2/5, 12.77%
Chance of cancellation Monday 2/5, 3.29%
So Monday becomes sunny with gusty winds and a high only in the upper 20s.
Tuesday is variably cloudy with a slight chance of snow showers in the afternoon and evening, signifying nothing.
Wednesday is the interesting day. By 2-4am we should see snow develop. This continues on and off until 10-12, when temperatures rise into the upper 30s and we see precipitation mix with (then change rapidly to) plain rain. But the snow could accumulate 1-3 inches before the rain comes, causing some driving issues and resulting in cancellations.
Thursday looks partly cloudy and cold with a high near freezing. Little milder for Friday (high in the mid 30s) but still partly to mostly sunny.
Saturday into Sunday there's a chance for more substantial snow, but it's too early to pinpoint amounts (a lot depends on track and temperatures).
Stay tuned for updates!