4-6 inches of snow seen Monday; heavy rains, flooding possible Wed.
While groundhogs may be seeing an extended winter, the National Weather Service says Chester County is in for a hairy week of wintery weather.
It appears that the world most famous groundhog — Punxsutawney Phil — and the National Weather Service are on the same page: There’s lots more winter headed for Chester County.
Although Phil’s seeing his shadow Sunday morning portends six more weeks of winter, according to tradition, computer modeling shows Chester County could be in for a wild week, starting Monday morning.
First, a storm could dump 4 to 6 inches of snow Monday, with snow starting during or just after the morning commute. The snow is expected to be wet and heavy and some periods of sleet or freezing rain are possible. Monday night, temperatures will drop in the low 20s meaning that the slushy snow will likely freeze hard and cause some road icing.
More weather appears on tap for Wednesday, according to the NWS — when as much as an inch of rain could fall in parts of Chester County. Combined with Monday’s snowfall and snow already on the ground, there is high potential for river flooding — made worse by the potential of ice jams — with the large rainfall combined with snow melt. Freezing rain and icing is another potential hazard if temperatures fall well below freezing Wednesday night.
More could be in store for next weekend, too, with potential for a two-part storm somewhere between Feb. 7 and 9, the NWS said. It’s too early to estimate total snowfall, but the potential for a serious storm is there.
