Region gets blast of warmth before snow to come

Between a bout of record cold and a big snow dump to come, Philadelphia got a shot of extreme warmth Monday.

Temperatures hit 72 degrees, the highest point on record for a Nov. 24. It was the warmest Nov. 24 since 1979, which was followed by a winter of average snowfall, totaling just a third of what Philadelphia saw last winter.

Just days before the warmer weather, Wednesday morning saw a record-low temperature for a Nov. 19, dropping to 20 degrees around 6 a.m. to tie the low on that day in 1936.

But the chill will return just in time for Thanksgiving, with a winter storm watch in effect for Wednesday. The National Weather Service is predicting two to five inches of heavy wet snow across the Philadelphia area for Wednesday, continuing into the evening, meteorologist Lee Robertson said.

And AccuWeather Inc. is predicting rain in the morning, shifting to wet snow in the afternoon Wednesday, with the worst travel conditions and slippery roads from midafternoon into the evening.

AccuWeather senior meteorologist Dave Dombek said the storm, expected to hit the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic United States, will likely disrupt Thanksgiving travel. He said he expects at least some weather-related flight delays, possibly some significant.

While he said Philadelphia is unlikely to see more than a slushy inch or two of snow sticking, he predicts more accumulation to the north and west of the city, with mostly rain to the south in Delaware and along the Jersey Shore.

Problems driving would mostly be expected to the north and west of Philadelphia on Wednesday, Dombek said. Thanksgiving is looking cold but dry, with some wind, but nothing significant enough to affect the parade, he said.

The swings in weather from cold to warm to snow are not unusual for this time of year. Fall is a transition season and a "roller coaster ride in temperature" is typical even late in the season, Dombek said. The highs and lows have no bearing on the winter to come.

Monday also saw a record high 71 degrees for a Nov. 24 in Allentown and Reading while Trenton tied its record of 71.