Good afternoon everyone! The Blizzard of 2026 is kicking off as snow is gradually developing over the area. Snowfall rates will pickup as we progress into the evening hours and overnight. The National Weather Service has issued a Blizzard Warning for Monroe and Carbon Counties, calling for 8 to 16 inches of snowfall. Interestingly, 8 to 16 was their original forecast yesterday, then this morning when they first issued the Blizzard Warning they called for 12 to 24 inches, but have backed down to 8 to 16 as of 30 minutes ago. This is illustrating that the Poconos are going to be on the edge of the snow cutoff. Locations 25 miles apart from each are very likely to see drastic differences in snow totals. Personally, I still like 8 to 16 inches for a forecast, but I could see the upper end of the forecast verifying based on current observations.

I expect schools to begin to announcing closures for tomorrow as the day progresses today. As for Tuesday, I did issue a Second Prediction with much higher probabilities for closings and virtual days, given the recent trends. I do intend on issuing a prediction for Wednesday, as not only could there be lingering impacts from this storm but also light snow in the morning hours Wednesday. For now, I want to see how the next 24 hours pans out first.

I plan on issuing the Final Prediction for Tuesady and the First Prediction for Wednesday tomorrow afternoon. Be safe everyone, stay warm, and thank you for the support!