Snow falling in Philadelphia, Pa. suburbs after blast of arctic air hits region
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Arctic air invaded the Philadelphia area Monday night, ushering in the coldest air we have seen since February.
And on Tuesday morning, snow flurries started falling around the region, including right outside our newsroom in Philadelphia.
Winds added to the cold and dropped the feels-like temperature into the teens and twenties for Tuesday and Wednesday and into the first half of the day Thursday. Wind speeds will be sustained from 10-20 mph with gusts up to 35 mph.
A NEXT Weather Alert went into effect Monday night until 11 p.m. until Wednesday due to the combination of the cold, wind chill and the possibility of some snow flurries.
As far as the snow chances: we're not expecting much accumulation and certainly not enough to close schools. But a few snow flurries cannot be ruled out across the area on Tuesday from the Poconos into the Philadelphia area.
Accumulations in the Poconos may get up to an inch.
Tuesday's afternoon's high temperature of 37 degrees will make for the coldest day since Feb. 25 when the high temperature was 36 degrees.
This is a bit shocking, given the typical high temperature for this time of year is 51 degrees.
The arctic air literally traveled north of the Arctic Circle before plunging south, traveling more than 3,000 miles and maintaining its chill to bring us our first real blast of cold this winter.
Temperatures will drop below freezing once again Thursday morning, before warming back to normal for this time of year Thursday afternoon.
Here's your full 7-day forecast:
Tuesday: Frigid. High 37
Wednesday: Another chilly day. High 38, Low 25
Thursday: Pick of the week. High 51, Low 29
Friday: Showers return. High 49, Low 36
Saturday: Some sun, PM shower? High 52, Low 40
Sunday: Rain likely. High 56, Low 44
Monday: Clouds, shower. High 53, Low 42.