Wintry mix could impact road conditions across Centre County. Here’s the forecast
Another winter storm heading toward Centre County could impact road conditions later this week, forecasters say.
A winter weather advisory from the National Weather Service calls for mixed winter precipitation between roughly 10 p.m. Wednesday and noon Thursday. Total snow and sleet accumulations should fall between 1 and 2 inches before ice accumulates between one- and two-tenths of an inch from freezing rain and drizzle, the advisory reads.
Precipitation from this week’s storm could cause travel delays throughout Centre County, but the exact timing could influence just how bad road conditions get.
“I suspect traveling Thursday morning is going to be slow at best,” said Tom Kines, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather in State College. “I guess the good news is that by the afternoon, most of the precipitation will be over with. By that time, temperatures should be above freezing, so any additional precipitation should be rain.”
According to AccuWeather’s latest forecast, the temperature in State College should drop to 26 degrees Fahrenheit Wednesday night before reaching up to 47 degrees Thursday afternoon or evening. The wide temperature range could produce snow, sleet and freezing rain all within the same short period.
Kines said he doesn’t expect significant snow accumulation in the State College area, but hours of sleet or freezing rain could have significant impacts.
“Obviously, if there’s more freezing rain than anything else, you’ve got to start worrying about downed power lines, tree limbs and power outages, not to mention horrendous travel conditions,” Kines said. “Sleet won’t take down power lines or tree limbs, but it can cause some slick travel. For shoveling purposes, you’d much rather shovel snow than sleet. It’s a bit heavier and more of a pain to move around than snow.”
Atmospheric temperatures and the timing of precipitation will play a large role in shaping the forecast for Wednesday night and Thursday, Kines said. Sleet — defined as frozen raindrops — occurs when layers of freezing air sit below a small pocket of warmer air, causing raindrops to freeze before they hit the ground. Freezing rain, on the other hand, occurs when layers of freezing air are so thick that raindrops don’t have enough time to freeze before hitting the surface.
No matter how the forecast shakes out, Kines expects rough travel conditions Thursday morning.
“Either way, I think traveling early Thursday is going to be a slow-go or a no-go,” he said.
How much snow has fallen in State College this winter?
So far, State College has received about 17.4 inches of snow this winter season. That figure falls short of the 23.3 inches the area would receive in an average year up to this point, according to NWS archive data stretching back to 1893.
Last winter, State College had received only 13.6 inches of snow up to Feb. 4. That season produced about 22 total inches of snow, amounting to roughly half of a normal season.
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