Coastal storm to bring less snow, more rain to Bucks County this weekend. What to know

Although the threat for appreciable snowfall this weekend in Bucks County has lessened, residents should brace for the storm which still threatens to pack a wintry-mix punch.

The National Weather Service in Mount Holly issued an advisory Friday morning, updating its forecast for this weekend's storm and the expected impacts on Bucks County and the greater Delaware Valley region.

"Right now, precipitation will overspread the Bucks County region on Saturday. For most of the county, it's still going to start as snow, but down near Philadelphia and the I-95 corridor, it will be a snow/rain mix right from the start," said Patrick O'Hara, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mount Holly. "But as the storm wears into Saturday evening, a fair amount of the storm in Bucks County will turn to rain."

Here's everything else to know about this week's weather, leading up to the potential snow storm this weekend.

National Weather Service calls for a wintry mix this weekend in Bucks County

The National Weather Service in Mount Holly pushed out an alert Friday morning on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, to update residents on the storm.

"Precipitation will fall mainly as snow with a lower chance of mixing. Precipitation will fall initially as snow in the zone between 1-95 and 1-78, however a mix with rain or sleet is expected Saturday evening resulting in reduced amounts," read a portion of the Nation Weather Service's latest alert on Friday morning. "Mainly rain is expected near and southeast of 1-95, though precipitation may begin or end as wet snow near I-95 with little to no accumulation."

For Bucks County, O'Hara said the majority of the county will see at least some snow during this weekend's storm, and reiterated that northern Bucks County will see mostly snow, while it will be a wintry mix for southern Bucks County.

Still, no one in Bucks County should expect anything near whiteout conditions this weekend.

"The northern parts of Bucks County will see mostly rain and sleet, which will really keep accumulations down," O'Hara said. "So the area of I-95 and near the Delaware River should see a coating, and in the northern parts of the county and near the Lehigh Valley should see a few inches.

"It is definitely not a favorable weekend for snow lovers."

Here is the full forecast readout from the National Weather Service:

• Friday: Sunny, with a high near 38. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

• Friday overnight: Increasing clouds, with a low around 25. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.

• Saturday: Rain and snow, mainly after 1 p.m. High near 38. Light southeast wind becoming east 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

• Saturday overnight: Rain, possibly mixed with snow, mainly before 4 a.m. Low around 32. Breezy, with a northeast wind 15 to 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

• Sunday: Rain and snow likely, mainly before 4 p.m. Cloudy, with a high near 38. North wind around 10 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

• Sunday overnight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29.

PECO work impacts traffic: Months of lane closures on routes 413, 611 beginning Tuesday for PECO work

• Monday: Sunny, with a high near 42.

• Monday overnight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 26.

• Tuesday: Rain, mainly after 1pm. High near 48. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

• Tuesday overnight: Rain. The rain could be heavy at times. Low around 44. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 100%.

• Wednesday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

• Wednesday overnight:Partly cloudy, with a low around 33. Breezy.

Bucks County hit by snowstorm in 2021; Philadelphia region sets snowless record

In February 2021, Bucks County had snow on the ground in some capacity every day that month.

Multiple storms that winter closed schools, county buildings and made traveling throughout the region difficult as significant, accumulating snow piled onto roads.

Bucks County snowed over in 2021: Snow on the ground every day: How does this winter in Bucks compare?

At that time, AccuWeather meteorologist said Bucks County received roughly 25 inches of snow in February 2021 alone — the amount the county normally receives all winter.

The National Centers for Environmental Information notes that 22.8 inches of snow fell in Bucks County on Feb. 2, 2021. And Bucks County residents of a certain age may recall the 1983 storm which dropped 32 inches of snow on Doylestown.

If this storm does deliver measurable snow this weekend, it will break a nearly two-year long streak of the greater Philadelphia region receiving less than one inch of snow.

According to reports, 5.8 inches of snow fell in Philadelphia on Jan. 29, 2022, and Philadelphia hasn't had more than an inch of measurable snowfall since.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Coastal storm to bring some snow, rain to Bucks County region this weekend