Cloudy with scattered showers in Philadelphia region before dangerous cold. Here's the forecast.
Your Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend begins on Saturday with mild temperatures and scattered rain showers in the Philadelphia region. Our NEXT Weather team is ready to prepare and protect you ahead of Sunday's snow, followed by an Arctic blast with the coldest air our area has seen since 2018.
High temperatures will reach the low-to-mid 40s on Saturday. Cold air will slide in behind this system, creating an interesting setup for Sunday.
Our NEXT Weather Team has issued NEXT Weather Alerts from Sunday through Thursday. To prepare for the start of the winter storm, NEXT Weather Meteorologist Tammie Souza suggests you lay the ice melt down, charge your devices and fill up your car's tank this Saturday night.
Once Sunday morning hits, you'll want to prep the snow blower and run any last-minute errands you have. Double your drive times Sunday afternoon, as well as limit your travel and keep your pets inside.
On Sunday, an area of low pressure spins up in the Tennessee Valley and tracks off the Virginia/North Carolina coastline. This strengthening coastal storm passes close to the Jersey Shore bringing snow. That snow will be heavy at times from the I-95 corridor and areas north and west. The snow should be steady through the afternoon.
There will be bands of heavier snow as the storm intensifies. These bands may have snowfall rates of 1 inch per hour or more. From I-95 south and east there may be some rain or sleet to start which mixes with snow later in the day. Some areas in South Jersey and the shore will have lulls in the rain or snow.
Travel will be difficult on Sunday with snow-packed roads in some places. Anyone with travel plans should anticipate air cancellations and rail delays.
Snow day for the Birds
Over in South Philadelphia, the Eagles and Rams will be playing in the snow! And when the snow starts to stay, Philly fans come out to play. Fans will need to arrive very early and all travel times around the area should be doubled.
The snow tapers off Sunday evening between 7-9 p.m.
With this winter weather in the forecast for Sunday's matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, many fans are reminiscing about a memorable game back in 2013, when Mother Nature made her presence felt during a thrilling Eagles vs. Lions game.
"I'll never forget it," Eagles fan Gianmarco Martuscelli said, recalling the 2013 game that turned into an unexpected snowstorm. "All of a sudden, in the middle of the second quarter, it started coming down hard, and it just kept coming."
Martuscelli added snow began to fall heavily during the game, catching many by surprise.
"We weren't expecting snow at all, so we didn't really prepare for gloves or a nice winter hat," Martuscelli said with a laugh, noting how fans weren't ready for the conditions.
The storm dumped over 6 inches of snow on the players and fans in the stands, making the game day a unique experience.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day forecast
For MLK Day on Monday, sunshine returns but winds increase and temperatures begin to plummet. Morning lows will be in the teens and highs only reach the mid-20s with wind chills in the teens.
Monday night we drop to the single digits in the city and near or below zero in some areas away from the city. Tuesday and Wednesday will only see highs in the mid-teens with lows across the region between -2 and 9 degrees.
Thursday begins in the single digits and highs return to the mid 20's. Wind chills will dip to -10 to -20 at night with the feels like between 0 to 10 during the day. Beginning Sunday night, we begin a 5-day stretch below freezing. On Friday afternoon we reach the freezing mark.
Stay with the NEXT Weather Team for updates and any change in the forecast
Here's your NEXT Weather forecast:
Sunday: NEXT Weather Alert for snow. High 34, Low 32.
Monday: NEXT Weather Alert for cold. High 22, Low 17.
Tuesday: NEXT Weather Alert for cold. High 17, Low 7.
Wednesday: NEXT Weather Alert for cold. High 19, Low 7.
Thursday: NEXT Weather Alert for cold. High 26, Low 5.
Friday: Still cold. High 32, Low 11.