Odds of freezing high, snow low

Several suburban counties could see a freeze tonight - and Saturday might even bring a rare October snow to the Philadelphia area, forecasters say.

More likely the city and suburbs will get another round of rain, following an enjoyably sunny day on Friday.

"New York City, Philadelphia and Boston and other I-95 cities and their suburbs could be on the edge of rain and snow depending on the track of a storm during Saturday," writes senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski of AccuWeather.com.

One computer model suggests "a stunning early snowfall" for North Jersey, while another calls for light snow, according to the National Weather Service.

If flakes do fall in Philly, they're more likely to dust lawns than coat roads.

The system is the heir of the one that dumped snow on Colorado, before swinging across the South, then heading up the East Coast.

First, though, a cold front will chill things down.

Overnight, temperatures could fall below freezing in Berks, Bucks, Montgomery and Chester Counties, especially in northwestern portions, according to a freeze watch issued by the National Weather Service.

A more serious freeze warning was issued for Lancaster County and several others to the west, posing a threat to outdoor plants.

Potted ones should be covered or brought inside, the agency suggests.

Northeastern Pennsylvania could even see some snow overnight, with "accumulation of less than a half inch possible" for Scranton. The area is also under a hard freeze warning.

Philadelphia is looking at lows in the upper 30s for the next four nights, with daytime highs declining from about 60 today to near 50 Friday and Saturday.

Meteorologists should have a clearer picture about the flaky forecast Friday.

For latest forecast, go to http://go.philly.com/weather. See also Tony Wood's Weather or Not blog at www.philly.com/philly/blogs/weather.