Alert: Widespread Wintry Mix To Start Thursday, Icing On Roads Possible

WGAL News 8 Storm Team Meteorologist Ethan Huston says widespread freezing rain and sleet are likely to start Thursday morning. This wintry mix switches to steady rain south of Turnpike and steady snow for areas north of Turnpike midday.

Updated: 8:06 AM EST Dec 15, 2022

Alert: Rain & Freezing Rain Thursday Morning, Icing On Roads Possible

WGAL News 8 Storm Team Meteorologist Ethan Huston says widespread freezing rain and sleet are likely to start Thursday morning. This wintry mix switches to steady rain south of Turnpike and steady snow for areas north of Turnpike midday.

Updated: 8:06 AM EST Dec 15, 2022

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WHOLE CARE YOU’RE WATCHING DOUBLE GAIL YOU START YOUR TIME AT 645 AND IT’S TIME NOW FOR WGAL NEWS 8 TO GO. IT’S ALL THE NEWS, WEATHER AND TRAFFIC. YOU NEED TO START YOUR DAY. AND WE BEGIN WITH A LOOK OUTSIDE OUR SKY CAMS WHERE A WINTER IS BEARING DOWN ON THIS. THIS ONE, A VALLEY. THAT’S WHY TODAY IS AN ALERT DAY. METEOROLOGIST ETHAN HUSTON IS HERE WITH THE FORECAST. NATHAN. GOOD MORNING. SKY CAMS REALLY TELL THE STORY. WE’RE TALKING WINTRY WEATHER, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE SKY CAM, IT LOOKS LIKE RAIN, BUT WITH TEMPERATURES AT OR FREEZING. THAT IS FREEZING RAIN. FREEZING ON CONTACT, CREATING A GLASS ICE ACROSS A LARGE PORTION OF THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY. THAT IS WHY THE WEATHER SERVICE HAS PLACED THE MAJORITY OF THE VALLEY UNDER A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY. THAT’S 7 P.M. BUT IF YOU’RE WATCHING, IT’S IN MIFFLIN AND JUNEE OUT OF COUNTY. WE HAVE A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR YOU UNTIL 7 P.M. TOMORROW BECAUSE OUR NORTHERN COUNTIES COULD SEE SOME SNOW DEVELOP EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. AND THAT WILL CONTINUE INTO THE EVENING HOURS. TAKING A LIVE LOOK NOW OVER CARLISLE. YOU CAN SEE THE ROADWAYS ARE WET. TEMPERATURES RIGHT NOW IN CARLISLE AT 33. BUT ACROSS THE AND OTHER AREAS WERE STARTING OR BELOW FREEZING. THAT IS THE CASE ALONG. THE ROADWAYS, YOU CAN SEE MOST OF OUR ROADWAYS ARE BELOW FREEZING AT THIS HOUR. SO THE RAIN IS FALLING AND FREEZING ON CONTACT WITH THE GROUND. SUPER DOPPLER 8 IS PICKING UP ON THAT. THE PINK THAT YOU SEE HERE IS THE FREEZING RAIN THAT IS FAIRLY WIDESPREAD. BUT YOU COULD SEE UP AT ELEVATION, UP INTO CENTER COUNTY AND INTO MIFFLIN COUNTY, LITTLE BIT OF SOME SNOW TRYING TO MIX IN THIS WEDGE OF COLDER AIR EXTENDS BACK OVER WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA. IF YOU HAVE FAMILY OVER IN JOHNSTOWN AND OVER IN SOMERSET, THIS IS GOING TO BE A CRIPPLING ICE STORM. BUT FOR US, EVENTUALLY THIS WARMER AIR STARTS MOVING ON IN AS THE CENTER. THAT STORM IS OFF TO OUR SOUTH. HEADS TOWARDS THE EAST COAST. SO THROUGH THE DAY TODAY, WE’VE GOT THE RAIN IN THE FREEZING RAIN NOW IT WILL BECOME RAIN AS TEMPERATURES RISE BY AREAS NORTH OF THE TURNPIKE COULD SEE PROLONGED SNOW. RAINFALL BE HEAVY. TEMPERATURES WILL CLIMB TO NEAR 40 DEGREES LATER TODAY OVERNIGHT TONIGHT, LOOK FOR WIDESPREAD RAIN AND DRIZZLE, BUT WITH TEMPERATURES IN THE MID TO UPPER THIRTIES NOT LOOKING FOR ANY IMPACT AND THEN FOR TOMORROW MAY SEE A LINGERING LIGHT RAIN OR SNOW SHOWER EARLY BUT THEN WE’LL START TO SEE SOME DRIER AIR MOVING IN. WE’LL GET SOME PEAKS OF SUNSHINE LATER IN THE DAY. HIGHS IN THE LOWER FORTIES. WIND GUSTS THE DAY TODAY AND ALSO TOMORROW COULD BE BREEZY, BUT WITH WIND GUSTS, POSSIBLY UPWARDS OF 30 TO NEAR 40 MILES PER HOUR. AND WITH THE TREE LIMBS WAY DOWN WITH SOME ICE ACCUMULATION, THERE COULD BE SOME SPORADIC POWER OUTAGES. HERE’S A LOOK AT THE CURRENT WINDS RIGHT NOW, RELATIVELY LIGHT, BUT NOTICE THE DIRECTION COMING IN FROM THE EAST THAT’S KEEPING THAT WEDGE OF COLDER AIR NEAR, THE SURFACE. SO WE HAVE WARMER AIR UP NEAR THE CLOUD LEVEL. BUT THIS THIN LITTLE LAYER OF COLDER AIR NEAR THE SURFACE, THAT’S WHY WE’VE GOT THAT FREEZING RAIN. YOU CAN THAT EXTENDS DOWN TOWARDS HAGERSTOWN. BUT MILDER AIR IS OFF TO OUR WEST AND IS EVENTUALLY GOING TO WIN OUT AS WE HEAD THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. SO LET’S TAKE YOU HOUR BY HOUR HERE ON THE PREDICTOR. YOU’VE GOT THAT RAIN SNOW LINE THAT IS OFF DOWN TO OUR SOUTH. EVENTUALLY GOING TO CONTINUE TO LIFT TO THE NORTH. SO AROUND O’CLOCK ALONG THE TURNPIKE AND POINTS TO THE SOUTH, WE’RE DEALING WITH PLAIN. BUT AREAS NORTH OF TURNPIKE WILL CONTINUE TO SEE THAT FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET. BUT AS THE STORM PICKS UP AND THE RAIN PICKS UP, COLDER AIR GETS PULLED DOWN FROM THE CLOUDS AND OUR NORTHERN COUNTIES WILL SEE STEADY. BUT FOR MUCH OF THE SUBSEQUENT VALLEY, IT WILL BE PLAIN RAIN TOWARDS THE EVENING COMMUTE. THIS RAIN SNOW LINE WILL CONTINUING ADVANCED TO THE NORTH BY MIDNIGHT. MUCH OF THE VALLEY IS JUST GOING TO SEE PLAIN RAIN WITH TEMPERATURES THE THIRTIES. THEN THE STORM STARTS TO PULL AWAY EARLY FRIDAY MORNING AND DRIER STARTS TO MOVE ON IN TERMS OF SNOWFALL, YOU’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO ACCUMULATE. YOU GOT TO HEAD OFF TO OUR NORTH WITH THE EXCEPTION OF OUR NORTHERN, LOOKING FOR PERHAPS A LITTLE BIT OF SOME SLUSH. 1 TO 2 INCHES CLOSER TOWARDS HARRISBURG. A LOT OF THIS WILL WASH AWAY WITH THE INCOMING EVENING RAIN. BUT UP TOWARDS LEWISTOWN SALES, 2 TO 5 INCHES OF SNOW. I AM MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THE GLAZE OF ICE GLAZE OF ICE POSSIBLE TO A 10TH INCH OF RAIN. SOME AREAS COULD PICK UP 2/10 OF AN INCH OF RAIN ALONG. SOUTH MOUNTAIN AND BLUE MOUNTAIN OR WESTERN COUNTIES. SO STAY ON ALERT. ROADS ARE DICEY THERE THIS MORNING. OUR WEATHER WILL IMPROVE AS WE HEAD THROUGH TOMORROW. COULD SEE SOME FLURRIES FLYING ON SATURDAY. DRIER WEATHER OR CHILLIER FOR SUNDAY INTO EARL

Alert: Rain & Freezing Rain Thursday Morning, Icing On Roads Possible

WGAL News 8 Storm Team Meteorologist Ethan Huston says widespread freezing rain and sleet are likely to start Thursday morning. This wintry mix switches to steady rain south of Turnpike and steady snow for areas north of Turnpike midday.

Updated: 8:06 AM EST Dec 15, 2022

A large winter storm brings all types of wintry weather to the Susquehanna Valley for Thursday making travel conditions hazardous to dangerous from the morning commute through the evening commute. Widespread freezing rain and rain are likely to continue through the late morning hours for most of the Valley. A glaze of ice on bridges, overpasses, elevated surfaces is likely. Major highways may be just wet as they’ve been pre-treated overnight. However, side streets, backroads and highways at higher elevations are likely glazed over. Use extreme caution if traveling.Ice accumulations will range between a glaze to up to a tenth of an inch. Isolated spots may see up to two tenths of an inch. The rain and freezing rain pick up in intensity late in the morning and warmer air gets pulled into the storm system as it begins to move off the East Coast.Areas mainly north of the Turnpike will see a transition from the freezing rain and rain to mostly snow with some sleet. Areas along and mainly south of the Turnpike will see plain rain but some snow may mix in at times near the Turnpike. Temperatures rise into the mid 30s during the afternoon and hold in the mid to upper 30s during the evening. Travel impacts for the evening commute will be lower for the majority of the Valley. It’s areas north of the Turnpike that may have problems this afternoon and evening because of the anticipated snow. Snow and sleet accumulations are likely going to be just a slushy coating to one inch for most of the Valley. However, areas along and north of I-81 may see up to two inches of snow and slushy sleet accumulate. Mifflin, Juniata, northern Perry and northern Dauphin Counties may receive between two and five inches of snow.After sunset, most of the Susquehanna Valley’s precipitation becomes mainly rain but areas near the US-522 corridor will continue to see snow as temperatures hover in the upper 30s. This mostly rain and pockets of snow in our far northern communities continue through the night and slowly tapers from west to east Friday morning. Temperatures stay in mid to upper 30s Thursday night so any lingering precipitation will have little to no impact to travel Friday morning.

A large winter storm brings all types of wintry weather to the Susquehanna Valley for Thursday making travel conditions hazardous to dangerous from the morning commute through the evening commute.

Widespread freezing rain and rain are likely to continue through the late morning hours for most of the Valley. A glaze of ice on bridges, overpasses, elevated surfaces is likely. Major highways may be just wet as they’ve been pre-treated overnight. However, side streets, backroads and highways at higher elevations are likely glazed over. Use extreme caution if traveling.

Ice accumulations will range between a glaze to up to a tenth of an inch. Isolated spots may see up to two tenths of an inch.

The rain and freezing rain pick up in intensity late in the morning and warmer air gets pulled into the storm system as it begins to move off the East Coast.

Areas mainly north of the Turnpike will see a transition from the freezing rain and rain to mostly snow with some sleet. Areas along and mainly south of the Turnpike will see plain rain but some snow may mix in at times near the Turnpike. Temperatures rise into the mid 30s during the afternoon and hold in the mid to upper 30s during the evening. Travel impacts for the evening commute will be lower for the majority of the Valley. It’s areas north of the Turnpike that may have problems this afternoon and evening because of the anticipated snow.

Snow and sleet accumulations are likely going to be just a slushy coating to one inch for most of the Valley. However, areas along and north of I-81 may see up to two inches of snow and slushy sleet accumulate. Mifflin, Juniata, northern Perry and northern Dauphin Counties may receive between two and five inches of snow.

After sunset, most of the Susquehanna Valley’s precipitation becomes mainly rain but areas near the US-522 corridor will continue to see snow as temperatures hover in the upper 30s.

This mostly rain and pockets of snow in our far northern communities continue through the night and slowly tapers from west to east Friday morning. Temperatures stay in mid to upper 30s Thursday night so any lingering precipitation will have little to no impact to travel Friday morning.