Pittsburgh sees rain and cold front after warm November
Temperatures will drop to the mid-30s Friday, bringing a potential light snowfall to the Laurel Highlands.
By Madison Darwish ·
Rain is falling across the Pittsburgh area on Thursday, marking the end of an unusually warm and dry stretch for the city this month.
Forecasters expect the most widespread precipitation to occur from sunrise until 2 p.m. Thursday. Most locations will accumulate between 0.25 and 0.5 inches of rain.
Data shows that November has been the eighth warmest on record up to this point, with an average temperature of 54.1 degrees. This pattern reverses as a low-pressure system and cold front move through the region.
A dry slot will appear later Thursday evening and overnight as the surface low pushes east. Northwest winds will transport cooler air into the area, dropping temperatures to near 40 degrees by midnight.
Friday mornings will reach the mid-30s. Scattered lake-effect showers will develop in the late morning and early afternoon, impacting northern and western sections of the forecast area. Surface temperatures will range from the upper 30s to low 40s, but cold air aloft may cause snowflakes to mix in.
A more organized band of showers and snow is likely to form Friday night into Saturday morning. Wind directions aligning flow off Lake Huron and Lake Erie will drive this activity. Most of the area will see only a trace to a dusting of snow. The Laurel Highlands and Ridges could receive up to 1 inch.
The system lacks deep cold air at the surface and remains ill-formed, limiting total accumulation. Cloudy skies and below-normal temperatures will persist into early next week. Daytime highs will reach the lower 50s by Tuesday and Wednesday, while nights remain chilly and dry with frosty mornings.
