After warm January, Poconos temperatures to plunge on Friday

Kathryne Rubright, Pocono Record
·2 min read
February 2, 2021: Groundhog Club handler A.J. Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 136th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa. Phil's handlers said that the groundhog has forecast six more weeks of winter.
February 2, 2021: Groundhog Club handler A.J. Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 136th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa. Phil's handlers said that the groundhog has forecast six more weeks of winter.

January was warm in the Poconos, but a chilly weekend is coming.

In Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg, the average temperature last month was 36.5 degrees, which is the third-highest on record and 9.1 degrees above normal, according to Ben Gelber, meteorologist and Pocono weather expert.

Mount Pocono had its second-warmest January at average of 33.4 degrees, well above the usual chilly temperature of 22.8 degrees.

Warm temperatures meant there was no ice to cut on Jan. 28 at the annual Tobyhanna Ice Harvest (though organizers did have historical equipment on display).

In 2022:Volunteers brave fierce Pocono temperatures for return of the Tobyhanna Ice Harvest

Gelber also noted light snowfall — just 10.7 inches in the Stroudsburgs compared to an average of 23.4 inches from October through January.

“The reason for this season's mildness is the third year of La Niña, cooler-than-average water in the eastern tropical Pacific, which influences the jet stream,” he said. “Persistent high pressure off the Southeast coast draws warm air northward into the eastern U.S. and deflects the primary winter storm track west of Pennsylvania.”

Cold temperatures are still possible in these years, as the Poconos will experience soon.

“Even during mild winters, a lobe of the polar vortex is capable of plunging southward. We experienced a frigid spell around Christmastime, when the temperature nosedived more than 54 degrees in 18 hours Dec. 23-24, to a low of -1 degree on Christmas Eve. Winds chills ranged from 15 to 31 below zero from Stroudsburg to Mount Pocono,” Gelber said.

“Another quick surge of arctic chill will arrive early Friday. Readings will bottom out near zero on Saturday morning, with afternoon temperatures in the teens to low 20s Friday and Saturday.  Wind chills are likely to range from 10 to 25 below zero Friday night from the lower to higher elevations,” he added.

Sunday will feel warm by comparison when highs approach 40.

The cold spell may prove Pennsylvania’s groundhog forecaster correct: “Punxsutawney Phil will likely see his shadow Thursday morning, reminding us that there could well be six more weeks of winter to go,” Gelber said.

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Weather: Temperatures to drop in Poconos amid mild La Niña winter