Word to the wise: Never trust Phil
Yes, again. Courtnie Bennett of East Washington had to take a little extra time clearing her car of sleet and ice before she could visit a friend Monday.
Jim McNutt/Observer-Reporter Mother Nature sprang another surprise Monday morning with snow, sleet and freezing rain overnight, giving motorists another reminder that winter is still with us.
Never trust a rodent, at least when it comes to the weather, says Lee Hendricks, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh.
On Feb. 2, Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his hole and saw no shadow, which according to legend was an indication of an early spring. If the groundhog had seen his shadow, winter was to continue for another six weeks. So the story goes.
But Groundhog Day was more than six weeks ago, and according to Hendricks, the seemingly never-ending cold, wet and snowy conditions we have been experiencing will continue until April.
“I personally don’t trust anything with beady eyes and four feet,” Hendricks said with a laugh when asked about Pennsylvania’s most famous groundhog.
Monday morning brought the area a mixture of snow, freezing rain and rain that led to some area schools closing and others operating on two-hour delays.
While there will be a slight, brief warmup of temperatures into the 40s, the meteorologist said temperatures will stay at below-average levels for the next couple of weeks. This Wednesday night into Thursday morning, the overnight low is forecast to be in the mid-teens.
In Southwestern Pennsylvania this time of year, the normal temperatures are highs in the low 50s and lows in the 30s.
With below-freezing weather to linger for a while, Hendricks said there remains the possibility of more snow, but he couldn’t say whether the precipitation might come in the form of flurries or full-fledged snow showers.
“A storm doesn’t look likely in the next five- to seven-day forecast, but you never know what can happen after that,” he said.
Hendricks noted that the region’s third biggest snowstorm ever occurred in mid-March 1993, with 25.3 inches of snow falling.
While Hendricks can’t say when the weather will clear and spring will arrive, he assures us that it’s definitely on the way.