'Alberta Clipper' expected in town, bringing snow Friday morning
Battling high winds Thursday could change into battling slippery roads Friday morning when some snowfall may arrive just in time for morning commutes during a type of quick-hitting storm often called an Alberta Clipper.
The reason? They originate in the middle portion of Canada and sweep east.
Less than an inch of snow is being predicted for the morning commute hours, but with temperatures not expected to climb above freezing until the late afternoon, travel won’t be easy if any precipitation does occur.
“A quick shot of light snow is expected,” according to the forecast from the National Weather Service for 6 a.m. Friday. “There is limited moisture associated with the system so snowfall amounts should be less than an inch.”
The storm will likely weaken as it comes east in the morning and should clear out by 10 or 11 a.m., the NWS forecast.
But it’s not the last Alberta Clipper expected by week’s end. Another weak storm lacking serious punch could deliver less than an inch of snow late Saturday night into Sunday morning.
“While the Appalachian mountains will screen out much of the snow from the Midwest, it can still bring enough for icy spots and areas of slippery travel for the morning drive Friday east of the mountains,” senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski wrote on accuweather.com Thursday night. “Metro areas that could experience wintry problems include Washington, D.C.; Baltimore, Md., Dover, Del., Philadelphia and perhaps as far south as Richmond, Va.”
Contact Brian X. McCrone at 215-854-2267 or bmccrone@philly.com. Follow @brianxmccrone on Twitter.
