As for how much snow we'll get with the storm, estimates range from 2 to 8 inches depending on where you live.
UPDATE: Parts of Lehigh Valley region expected to see 4 to 8 inches of snow
Meteorologists today had differing opinions on how much snow a volatile coastal storm would bring to the Lehigh Valley and northwest New Jersey later this week, but they were all in agreement on one aspect of the storm.
View full sizeHow to check out the chill factor It will create dangerously cold temperatures in the region.
The National Weather Service was calling for low temperatures of below zero on Saturday morning in parts of northern New Jersey and the Poconos. AccuWeather placed the low temperature Friday night into Saturday morning at -4 degrees in Easton. And Hackettstown-based WeatherWorks noted that wind gusts of up to 40 mph will make it feel like -15 degrees in some parts of the region going into the weekend.
WeatherWorks meteorologist Sam DeAlba said the region may see some flurries as early as Wednesday night, but the weather will begin to get interesting on Thursday afternoon.
Thursday evening and night will be “the main event” -- the snow gets heavy as the storm sets up off the Atlantic coast, the temperature drops to about 10 degrees and winds pick up to 30 to 35 mph, he said.
View full sizeThe National Weather Service in this chart says 2 to 6 inches of snow in Northampton County, 2 to 4 inches in Lehigh County and 2 to 6 inches in Warren and Hunterdon counties. The snow could fall into Friday morning, and the high temperature by that point should be 10 to 15 degrees, with wind gusts as high as 40 mph, he said.
The snow should be fluffy because it will be so cold, making shoveling a bit easier, but as DeAlba said, it’s going to be 10 degrees and windy, so shoveling won’t be much fun.
How much will need to be shoveled depends on where exactly you live and whose forecast you’re following.
DeAlba predicted anywhere from 3 to 8 inches. “The Lehigh Valley is an interesting spot,” he said. “It should be good for at least three to six” but 4 to 8 is possible.
The National Weather Service was going with a more conservative estimate as of this afternoon. A briefing from the service says 2 to 4 inches will fall in most parts of the Lehigh Valley. The briefing, however, put the Slate Belt in the 4- to 6-inch range. Most of Warren County was also in that range.
AccuWeather had almost the entire region in the 4- to 8-inch range including Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton and Phillipsburg.
Assistant managing editor Tony Rhodin contributed to this report.