Cold temperatures, snow heading to the area
Temperatures will be near 60 today and it be will dry, but a change is on its way.
Later tonight, the temperature will drop and rain will start, leading to聽snow in the area Tuesday, said Lee Hendricks, a meteorologist from the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be fairly brutal out there Tuesday through Tuesday night,鈥� said Hendricks.
Temperatures will drop into the upper 20s with 80% chance of precipitation overnight. Residents, especially those living on the ridges of Westmoreland, Fayette and Washington counties, should brace themselves for their first taste of the impending winter, said Hendricks.
On the Chestnut and Laurel ridges and areas like Champion and Ohiopyle, weather forecasters expect about 1 inch of snow Monday night and for temperatures to drop to the mid-20s.
On Tuesday, expect snow to continue into the early morning hours with a 50% chance of precipitation. Another 1-3 inches of snow is expected across the ridges with temperatures hovering in the upper 20s and wind gusts of up to 30 mph in the afternoon.
On Tuesday night, snow showers will continue, but aren鈥檛 expected to pile up much additional accumulation, though temperatures will continue to plummet into the teens by Wednesday morning, Hendricks said. Tuesday night, forecasters expect a 50% chance of snow showers with lows of 14 degrees and with winds of 15 mph and gusts of up to 30 mph.
The biting cold, however, won鈥檛 stick around too long. Hendricks said temperatures will start to rebound later in the day Wednesday and he expects Thursday鈥檚 highs in the upper 30s and low 40s. Lows will be in the mid to upper 20s. And, by the weekend, Hendricks said, temperatures could return to the 40s or even 50s.