Wednesday night will usher in a "parade" of back-to-back winter storms bringing snow, ice, and sleet to the Philly metro, forecasters said.
Michelle Rotuno-Johnson, Patch Staff
|Updated Wed, Feb 5, 2025 at 3:33 pm ET
PHILADELPHIA — A wintry mix headed to southeastern Pennsylvania on Wednesday night and into Thursday morning is the beginning of a "parade" of February storms set to bring snow and ice to the region, forecasters said.
These back-to-back storms will create slippery and dangerous travel conditions across much of the mid-Atlantic over the next week, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.
The first of these begins at 11 p.m. Wednesday, as a Winter Weather Advisory will be in effect for Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties until 1 p.m. on Thursday. Forecasters warn we could be in for a messy commute in the morning.
"Much of the region is expected to see nearly every wintry precip type through this period - snow, sleet, and freezing rain, all mixed and matched," the National Weather Service said.
Snow and sleet are expected to reach the Philadelphia area around midnight, moving north and transitioning to a wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain before sunrise Thursday. This could make for some icy spots on the roads and sidewalks as people head out to work or school on Thursday morning, said forecasters.
Find out what's happening in Philadelphiafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
In total, forecasters predict snow and sleet accumulations up to one inch, and ice accumulations between one tenth and two tenths of an inch.
"This poses a risk for tree damage and power outages as the storm moves through," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said.
This storm will also kick off an active pattern, "with the potential for multiple impactful storm systems" over the next week, the National Weather Service said.
A second winter storm looks set to blow through the region on Friday, bringing a significant chance of ice accumulation throughout Pennsylvania, Accuweather predicted. Power outages are also possible with this storm.
And a third possible system next week could bring accumulating snow to a wide swath of the country, forecasters said. However, it's still too early to know the details.
Here is the latest forecast for the Philadelphia region from the NWS:
Wednesday night: A chance of snow before 1am, then snow and sleet, possibly mixed with freezing rain. Low around 29. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. New ice accumulation of less than a 0.1 of an inch possible. New snow and sleet accumulation of less than one inch possible.
Thursday: Rain, snow, freezing rain, and sleet, becoming all rain after 10am. High near 42. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New ice accumulation of less than a 0.1 of an inch possible. New snow and sleet accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Thursday night: A slight chance of rain before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 36. West wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 42. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 26.
Saturday: A chance of rain, snow, and freezing rain after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 35. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Saturday Night: Snow and freezing rain before 1am, then rain or freezing rain. Low around 28. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent.
Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 43.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 22.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.