PITTSBURGH (Newsradio 1020 KDKA) - The biggest blast of winter so far this season is expected over the next few days and could last weeks.
AccuWeather meteorologist Dave Bowers tells KDKA Radio's Marty Griffin and Wendy Bell it starts Thursday afternoon.
"An inch or two with the temperature near or just below freezing can make for some slick roads (Thursday) afternoon and evening."
But Bowers says the "main event" is Saturday and he expects it to begin snowing around breakfast, "I'm thinking between 8 and 10 a.m. and you will see it snow, at least through the afternoon."
A Winter Storm Watch has been issued for Saturday Morning until Sunday Afternoon. pic.twitter.com/4ygGhq5WET
— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) January 17, 2019The snow is then expected to turn to rain but Bowers says it depends on how far north the warm front goes.As of Thursday, the line is expected to be around Interstate 80. That means farther north places like Erie and New York State could get up to two feet of snow.RELATED: Latest Pittsburgh Weather Forecast
Saturday afternoon in Pittsburgh is expected to be a mix of rain and sleet and then the storm ends as snow.
Bowers says that Pittsburgh is in a "battleground", meaning accumulation totals are hard to predict at this point but expect higher snowfall north and in places like Washington County, they may only see 1-3 inches.
As of Thursday afternoon, AccuWeather is forecasting 3-6 inches of snow around Pittsburgh with a 51 percent chance of getting more than 6 inches and an 11 percent chance of getting less than 3 inches.
The snow is expected to be over by Sunday morning and that's when temperatures will take a nose dive with a low of 6 Sunday and only a high of 18 on Monday.
And if that wasn't even Bowers says that isn't the end of it. He expects the area to remain active weather wise over the next few weeks.
"The Jetstream is going to kind of stand on its nose here in the coming weeks . . . ultra-cold and stormy so I definably think we are going to have winter here for a while.
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