Good evening everyone and Happy Sunday! Attached is the Second Prediction for Tuesday, January 21, 2025.
Today’s snow event is beginning to draw to a close; as of this writing, about 3 to 5 inches of snowfall has occurred throughout the county. There is likely another inch to go before snow fully exits the region.
The next event is going to be the cold air that is following in behind this system. The National Weather Service has issued a Cold Weather Advisory in effect from 10 PM Sunday (this evening) until 6 AM Tuesday. Per the advisory, down to -14*F wind chills are possible and it was mentioned the advisory is likely to be extended. From what I can see, I could see a justification for the National Weather Service to lower their forecast colder, closer to -20*F, based on weather model data. I could also see them extending the advisory into Wednesday morning (a separate prediction will be issued if that occurs). But, considering for now it is forecasting -14*F wind chills, which is still colder than what was forecasted on January 9 (-12*F), I still think delays are likely, but the closing odds have decreased. I did introduce a regular day probability, given only one of the four districts delayed on January 9 and we are only a few degrees colder than that.
I do want to mention this is a great time to check out Premium membership! Premium members get access to school predictions out to four days in advance for 12 counties across NEPA, including Scranton, the Poconos, and the Lehigh Valley areas. The site takes into account multiple types of winter weather events, such as snow, ice, and wind chills; it also includes weather forecast data, oberservations, and long range school closing risks out to six days out. It’s a great way to support the service and membership lasts a full year (signing up today would include early next winter too).
The Final Prediciton for Tuesday will be issued tomorrow afternoon. The key is to monitor updates to the Cold Weather Advisory, such as its end time and how low wind chill values go. Have a great evening everyone and thank you for the support!
