The 1st day of spring could bring snow. Here’s what to expect

Late-season snowstorms can be difficult to predict, and the one expected to hit Pennsylvania on the first day of spring Tuesday is no different.

According to the National Weather Service at State College, low pressure over the southern Great Plains on Monday is expected to lift and make its way to Pennsylvania, bringing with it a light mix of rain and snow starting Tuesday afternoon.

No accumulation is expected until Tuesday evening through Wednesday morning, when the southern portion of Centre County could see anywhere from a thin coating to an inch or two of snow, NWS meteorologist Matt Steinbugl said on Monday.

The largest potential for weather to impact travel is Wednesday morning, Steinbugl said.

But with the storm being so late in the season, what commuters can expect varies.

“The timing of the snow and rate of precipitation play huge factors in accumulation,” Steinbugl said.

With highs expected in the upper 30s Wednesday, Steinbugl said the largest potential for the highest accumulation would be if the most snow fell at the quickest rate in the early morning hours.

Anything from slick spots on the roads to slush can be expected for the commute, Steinbugl said.

Those south of Interstate 80 can expect more accumulation and road woes than those in the northern part of the county. Elevation and surface temperature on roads vs grassy areas are other variables making accumulation hard to predict.

Aside from being in late winter, another factor giving meteorologists headaches is that this storm is not one but two different weather systems.

“The weather system itself initially looked like one system but it turned out to be two interacting systems, causing a complex interaction ... and our model system has difficulty predicting the interactions at a longer range,” Steinbugl said.

Jeff Jumper, meteorologist for the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, tweeted Monday that the “confusing, frustrating storm system” is baffling meteorologists, and that the best thing for people to do is to keep monitoring weather forecasts and plan for travel delays Wednesday morning.

Steinbugl echoed that, encouraging commuters to keep an eye out on road conditions Wednesday morning.

Follow @511PSStateColl for real-time updates from the state Department of Transportation on road conditions in the State College region. Up-to-date weather information from the National Weather Service can be found at http://w2.weather.gov/ctp/ or by calling 231-2408.

This story was originally published March 19, 2018 at 6:15 PM with the headline "The 1st day of spring could bring snow. Here’s what to expect."