State College has seen nearly 24 inches of snow. Is more on the way this winter?
Centre County is warming up after a historic cold stretch, and the rest of winter should look a little more normal, one meteorologist expects.
“The worst of winter is over in terms of the magnitude of cold,” AccuWeather meteorologist Bob Larson told the Centre Daily Times this week. Major snowfall is not expected in the near future.
Temperatures over the next week can reach the high 40s and low 50s, but the warm days will be interspersed with colder ones.
“Back and forth we go,” he said. “And that’s already started.“
Larson said it was “remarkable” the area got up to 48 degrees Feb. 10. “But here we are today,” he said the next day. “It’s back to the 30s again.”
Any cold snaps, he said, will be “transient” in nature and are unlikely to linger as they have over the past week and change.
The recent cold snap, which saw eight consecutive days with temperatures lower than 20 degrees Fahrenheit in State College and several school delays, is the second-longest such streak on record. The longest was in January 1893, which saw nine consecutive sub-20 days.
Average temperatures for February this year are expected to be in line with historical averages.
Snow is likewise expected to mellow out, though Larson cautioned, “we don’t believe we’re done with snow just yet.”
State College has received more than 24 inches of snow so far this season, according to the National Weather Service, tying the total snowfall in the 2021-22 season. The average seasonal snowfall since 1980 is 41.3 inches.
While there isn’t “any appreciable snow” on the horizon, Larson is keeping an eye on a storm brewing in the South that could potentially reach Centre County Sunday, Feb. 15, though it isn’t a given.
Precipitation over the next few weeks is likely going to be a mix of rain and snow, with bursts every three to five days. Larson expects precipitation to be in line with historical averages. February sees 11.6 inches of snow, on average, and March about 9.4 inches.
Larson noted recent Marches haven’t seen significant snowfall.
