The National Weather Service at State College has issued a winter weather advisory for all of Centre County with the region expected to see its first snowfall of the season late Thursday night into Friday.
According to the advisory, which is in effect until 7 a.m. on Saturday, snowfall accumulations of 2 to 4 inches are possible Thursday night and Friday, along with wind gusts of up to 35 mph.
AccuWeather senior meteorologist Bob Larson said the State College area is only expected to see a coating to an inch of snow, and most of that will be on non-paved surfaces.
While occasional showers with a few snowflakes may continue through Thursday evening, steady, accumulating snow is likely between 1 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Friday, Larson said.
Around State College and other lower elevations, Larson anticipates mostly wet roads and possibly some slush for the morning commute. But along ridgetops, colder temperatures could mean higher snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches and make for more treacherous travel.
“In some cases, especially if you have to go over any of the higher terrain in and out of State College, there very well could be slippery roads, so extra time is recommended for any commute,” Larson said. “And for all areas, regardless if it’s accumulating or melting, visibility would be reduced to a mile or less, which in and of itself can cause travel slowdowns.”
Rain and snow showers will continue into Friday afternoon, but with temperatures climbing toward 40 degrees, no additional accumulation is expected, Larson said.
The next chance for a storm in Centre County will come next week around Thanksgiving, though timing and whether the precipitation will be rain or snow remain uncertain, Larson said.
“There’s even a thinking that the storm could come kind of in two parts, one being Wednesday night and Thanksgiving morning, the other being more like Black Friday,” he said. “The second of those two, if that were to happen, odds greatly favor rain over snow at this point. First one could be either/or, if not mixed, and the second one probably be rain.”
The weekend after Thanksgiving is also expected to bring the coldest temperatures of the season so far.
“It could be quite cold, colder than anything we’ve seen so far this fall, which, of course, isn’t saying much because we haven’t had much cold weather yet,” Larson said. “But I think it’ll feel pretty wintry regardless of what comes through Wednesday, Thursday and probably Friday by the time you get to Saturday and Sunday.
