Bitter cold, strong winds, icy roads in central Pa. could make travel dangerous: forecasters

Weather forecasters say the next two days will bring snow and rain, plummeting temperatures, and 40 mph wind gusts that can make travel difficult.

• Will Pa. have a White Christmas? Click here for snow map

The National Weather Service has issued dangerous weather forecasts for Thursday and Friday, warning of potentially dangerous travel conditions. Valid in Kill, Lebanon, York and Lancaster counties.

Snow is likely by 9am Thursday, followed by rain and snow between 9am and 11am, with possible rain after 11am, according to the NWS.

Winds could reach up to 25 mph during the day on Thursday, but will only pick up overnight, forecasters say, and could reach up to 40 mph on Friday.

“Windy conditions can blow around unsecured items and make driving a high-profile vehicle difficult,” forecasters said in a dangerous weather outlook.

Rain is expected early Friday morning, with forecasters saying there could be a shower before 10am.Snow is expected only between 10am and 1pm

An inch or two of rain combined with cold to freezing ground temperatures could cause minor flooding in parts of the central state Friday morning, according to the NWS.

Temperatures could drop to 12 degrees by 5pm Friday, forecasters say. Weather forecasters have warned that a rapid drop in temperatures could lead to icy roads.

Weather forecasters are predicting “windy and cold temperatures, with winds of -0 to -15 degrees Celsius on Friday and Saturday nights.”

The high may only reach 16 on Saturday, the NWS said. Temperatures are expected to drop until around 11 p.m. on Christmas Eve, and he is expected to peak in the low 20s on Christmas Day.

today

High temperature around 43 degrees. 100% chance of rain.

tonight

Minimum temperature around 39 degrees. 100% chance of rain.

Friday

High temperature around 41 degrees. 100% chance of rain.

Friday night

Mostly cloudy, minimum temperature around 8 degrees.

Saturday

Partly sunny with a maximum temperature of 16°C.

saturday night

Mostly cloudy, minimum temperature around 11 degrees.

Sunday

Mostly sunny with a maximum temperature of around 23°C.

sunday night

Mostly sunny with a minimum temperature of around 12°C.