It’s going to snow Wednesday in Centre County. Here’s why it could verge on historic
Eight to 12 inches of snow are expected to fall Wednesday in Centre County, a total that would rival the entire snowfall from the last winter season.
About 13.2 inches of snow fell in State College last winter season, the least on record. State College has averaged 45.6 inches of snow annually since 1980-81, according to National Weather Service data.
“The fact that we were below 20 inches is very significant,” AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tom Kines said Monday. “It’s not out of the question that we could get more from this storm than we did all last winter.”
Snowfall is expected to begin between noon and 3 p.m. Wednesday. The precipitation will likely lessen to flurries by Wednesday night or Thursday morning.
Snowfall should be “pretty uniform” throughout Centre County, Kines said, though the eastern portion of the county is the most likely to receive an additional inch or two.
The high temperature Wednesday is forecast to be in the mid-20s, meaning the snow should be dry, fluffy and easy to move, Kines said.
“Wednesday is going to be a cold day. Temperatures are going to be in the 20s at best,” Kines said. “If you’re looking to have a snowball fight, you’re gonna have to wait a little bit. Same with building snow forts. It’s not gonna be the type of snow that is conducive to that.”
Gnarly road conditions are expected shortly after the snow begins to fall. Those who have outstanding errands should plan on checking them off as early as possible, Kines said.
A winter storm watch issued by the National Weather Service is in effect from noon Wednesday through 10 a.m. Thursday. Travel may be “very difficult to impossible.”
“If you have to be out and about on Wednesday, the earlier the better,” Kines said. “I suspect the roads are gonna be pretty bad the second half of the afternoon.”
The single-day snowfall record in State College is 12.5 inches, set Dec. 11, 1992.
Only three storms have exceeded eight inches of snow in December since 2000, with the most recent being 2012, Penn State assistant teaching professor of meteorology and atmospheric science Steve Seman said.
This story was originally published December 14, 2020 at 1:39 PM.