Wind advisory in place for Centre County

Batten down the hatches. Centre County’s in for some rough winds.

According to a National Weather Service advisory, the State College area will be facing big gusts on Monday.

From 2 p.m. to midnight, the agency’s meteorologists says the area will be buffeted by 20-30 mph winds. Gusts could come as strong as 50 mph.

The strongest winds are expected in the afternoon to early evening.

The NWS says the winds will be hard enough to damage trees and power lines, as well as possibly creating “minor property damage,” so secure any outdoor furniture or other lose items that could get blown away.

“Travel will be difficult for high profile vehicles,” the agency said, so big trucks and others that could be affected are advised to “use caution and consider avoiding areas exposed to strong cross-winds.”

That wasn’t the only bad weather news for the area. Predictions from AccuWeather suggested that if March is going to leave like a lamb, that means bundled up in wool.

According to State College’s own meteorologists, a “southward plunge of the polar vortex will bring a quick blast of arctic air directed at the Great Lakes and northeastern United States during the first week of April.”

The swing of cold weather will be worse in New York and New England, but arctic air could still put a chill farther south at the last minute, according to AccuWeather long-range meteorologist Joe Lundberg.

What it could mean is snow over the weekend.

“This is the type of setup, where a couple of snow showers could be seen east of the Appalachians to the Interstate 95 corridor of the mid-Atlantic and New England in the depths of the cold air later this weekend into early next week,” AccuWeather chief meteorologist Elliot Abrams said.

Projections show possibilities of snow Saturday and Sunday in the northern part of Pennsylvania.

This story was originally published March 28, 2016 at 2:46 PM with the headline "Wind advisory in place for Centre County."