Winter storm round 2? Centre County could be in for more snow, possible flooding

Central Pennsylvania is in for another bout of bad weather, with wet snow and followed by heavy rain expected Tuesday.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for much of Centre County, including the State College area, from 1 p.m. Tuesday to 1 p.m. Wednesday.

Tom Kines, senior meteorologist at Accuweather, said Centre County could see 1-3 inches of snow starting around 10 a.m. Tuesday before transitioning into heavy rain throughout the afternoon.

With Tuesday’s storm coming on the heels of the 5-6 inches of snow Centre County received over the weekend, delayed runoff and melting snow could increase rivers, creeks and other low-lying areas.

“The combination of heavy rain and snow melt is probably going to raise the streams and creeks quite a bit,” Kines said. “Yes, there’s certainly potential that there could be flooding.”

Kines suggests people check storm drains and clear them of any remaining snow to help with drainage when the rain does start Tuesday afternoon.

Despite the rain and sleet, it’s unlikely ice or freezing rain will become a problem, Kines said.

“It would have to get down into the 20s I think to cause problems and I don’t think it’s getting that low,” Kines said.

And don’t put away shovels and snowblowers quite yet. Kines said there’s a possibility of more snow and rain on Friday. Accuweather predicts a mix of snow and rain throughout Friday afternoon followed by heavy rain that night.