Good evening everyone and Happy Friday Eve! Attached is the FINAL Prediction for Friday, February 4, 2022.

There have been a few changes to the forecast which has resulted in an adjustment to the prediction. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect from 1 AM Friday until 4 PM Friday. The timing from the National Weather Service has not changed but the ice amounts were lowered slightly to a 0.2 to 0.4″ range (from 0.25 to 0.5″). At first glance, this looks like a very strong argument for closings – and it is, especially considering some local districts have asked students to bring home chrome books, an early indicator of virtual days. However, model guidance is introducing a new wrinkle to the forecast: they are suggesting elevations below 1,500 feet (which is where most school district buildings are located) will not go below freezing until 9 AM. If conditions are predominantly rain at 4/5 AM (when they make a decision), schools may attempt to squeeze in an early dismissal. The one major caveat are the afternoon bus runs – early dismissals do not work if they are dismissing into ice. Given this, I still favor the closing/virtual day scenario for tomorrow, but I think early dismissals do have a seat at the table.

School districts around and north of Scranton are beginning to close for tomorrow, but this makes sense because they are already experiencing freezing rain or will be within the next few hours. Given our area has more forecast variability, I suspect our local districts will wait until the morning to make a decision. Regardless, be on the lookout for school announcements over the next 12 hours. Have a great rest of your evening and thank you for the support!