Cold rain to turn to sunshine

By SCOTT JOHNSON — sjohnson@lockhaven.com
LOCK HAVEN — It was cold enough to snow last night and early today. But it won’t last for long.

“It’s cold,” was the initial explanation given by Mike D’Angelo, meteorologist from the National Weather Service Office in State College this morning. “It feels more like mid March than early May, but it should be warming up.”

D’Angelo said the cold rainy weather will disappear quickly, with a high pressure system expected to build into the state tonight into tomorrow, bringing “decent” sunshine and highs around 70 in the area.

Then, another front is expected to bring light rain into the area Wednesday evening.

“In general, it will be fairly decent for the rest of the week, but kind of cooler,” D’Angelo said. “It is going to be very cool today. We shouldn’t see temperatures 20 to 25 degrees below normal, like it is today.”

Some areas in higher elevations of southern Pennsylvania had a little bit of the white stuff this morning as a potent low pressure system pushed off the Atlantic Coast.

D’Angelo said the highest ridges above 1,800 feet saw a little bit of snow this morning. “The rain will continue to cool down the atmosphere and some snow has been sticking in some places. But for most folks in the higher elevations, the snow hits their windshields and is melting pretty fast.”

One reporting site, the Johnstown Airport, which sits 2,400 feet above sea level, reported freezing temperatures this morning, at 32 degrees.

“Most everybody else is above freezing,” D’Angelo said. “The snow has been hitting the ground and melting ... In the early afternoon, we should see the rainfall diminish along with any snow flakes.”

While snow in May is rare, it has occurred several times in the past, with the latest observation of snow at the Williamsport reporting station happening on May 25, in both 1925 and 2001, D’Angelo said.

“But, it is very unusual,” he added. “To have a trace of snow, all you have to have is one snowflake.”