The sun angle is now similar to late October and the average high is 39 degrees. But it could be slick overnight and during the Thursday morning rush.
So, the good news is, the sun's angle is similar to the third week in October, WeatherWorks President Frank Lombardo said this morning.
That means, no matter how much it snows in the next few weeks -- and Lombardo said the weather pattern will be very active with storm after storm forming off the East Coast -- it should quickly melt. By the end of the month, the sun's angle will be closer to late September and the roads will be warming up, he said from the weather service's Hackettstown headquarters.
So, when 1 to 3 inches of snow falls this evening, it shouldn't be sticking around for long. Don't believe him? Look out your window. We had 5 inches of snow in the Easton area at the end of last week. It's mostly gone.
Thursday's sunny high is expected to be 44 degrees, the National Weather Service forecasts. The average high is now 39.
Today's snow should start in the warmest part of the day -- between 4 and 7 o'clock -- so, while it's cold enough for snow in the clouds, it could be 40 degrees at the surface, initially turning the snow to rain, Lombardo said.
But it will be cold enough by mid-evening for snow to stick, with accumulations of 3 to 4 inches in Bucks and Hunterdon counties and just a trace in Monroe and Sussex counties as the storm that is coming through the Appalachian Mountains develops off the East Coast.
So be careful if you're driving late tonight or early Thursday. And, town police say, don't park on the streets or in municipal lots tonight in Hackettstown -- it's banned.
Keep an eye on school delays and closing on Thursday morning.
There are two different elements in tonight's weather when compared to last week's storm from which New England is still digging out -- it will be heavier south to north and there's not nearly as much moisture in the system, Lombardo said. Little or no snow is expected in Boston.
As for a storm this weekend, Lombardo said it too will develop off the coast, but it will be too far east to bring anything but snow showers to the Lehigh Valley and northwest New Jersey.
With such an active weather pattern, Lombardo said, "one of them will likely catch us" and pile up some snow. Afterall, Lombardo said, February is the snowiest month.
The temperature lags the sun angle as seasons change and we go from cold to warm or warm to cold, Lombardo said. But we're only two weeks from March and five weeks from spring, so don't expect the residue of small snowstorms to stick around for very long.
