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PHILADELPHIA - As Philadelphia continues to dig itself out from the frozen leftovers of last weekend's winter storm, forecasters say another system could be taking shape.
Forecasters monitoring potential for more snow in Philadelphia area this weekend
The National Weather Service Prediction Center says it’s too early to know the details, but is encouraging the public to monitor forecasts throughout the week.
What we know:
Forecasters say frigid temperatures will continue to blanket the eastern half of the United States into next week. By Thursday, a "high-altitude disturbance" will dive out of Canada Thursday and deepen across the eastern U.S. by Saturday.
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Weather: Cold temperatures continue amid another weekend storm watch
FOX 29 Meteorologist Scott Williams brings you the latest in weather as another snow system looms.
That will lead to a strong surface low-pressure system that will interact with the cold air mass. The result – heavy precipitation.
FOX Weather forecasters say one big signal they are watching with this setup is an atmospheric traffic jam over Greenland that can force storms to take paths that meander along the coast, making for multi-day weather hazards.
The second is an impressive ridge in the Intermountain West. While temperatures there will be well above average, it gives a clear path for the jet stream to bring systems out of Canada, over the Plains, and exiting somewhere along the Atlantic seaboard. This also helps to ensure that cold air continues to funnel out of the arctic and into the eastern half of America.
Days of arctic are to set up over Eastern U.S. (FOX Weather)
Should the timing align over the weekend, it could set the stage for yet another northeast snowstorm and not another cross-country storm like we saw over the weekend.
Local perspective:
The National Weather Service on Monday predicted that there's a 20%-30% chance of a moderate winter storm impacts from the still-developing system.
Parts of South Jersey, meanwhile, have a slightly higher likelihood of seeing some winter storm impacts this weekend, according to the Weather Service.
Moderate impacts include hazardous driving and winter-weather related disruptions, the weather service explained.
What we don't know:
The placement, strength and timing of the disturbance coming down from Canada are still unknown as of Monday afternoon.
(FOX Weather)
The timing, track and strength of the surface low pressure system will determine whether the storm brings rain, snow, or mixed precipitation. It will also determine how much precipitation occurs over the eastern U.S. before the storm moves offshore.
It’s also too soon to determine impacts to travel and infrastructure due to snow and wind.
What the models are saying
With several days of data left to gather, there is a large degree of uncertainty among computer forecast models regarding the outcome of this system.
FOX Weather Meteorologists Bob Van Dillen and Jane Minar noted Monday that both the traditional European and the AI-driven European forecast models indicated more impacts for the Mid-Atlantic coast, while the American GFS forecast model was less bullish on a major impact.
Computer forecast model comparison. (FOX Weather)
But should these forecast ingredients come together, it could set the stage for another snowstorm for the northeastern portion of the Interstate 95 corridor, which had been suffering from a decade-long snow drought in many locales.
Ahead of the weekend, the jet stream pattern will allow a weak clipper system to move out of Canada and bring lake-effect snow to the Great Lakes and western New York.