Friday To Feel Like Siberia In Lancaster County, But Saturday Snowstorm Now Not Looking As Serious Here

Some of the coldest Siberian-like air of the winter is going to be hovering over Lancaster County for the next 24 hours.

The expected low Friday morning should be around -2 degrees, which could equal the coldest temperature of the year so far.

And it will feel even colder, as the wind chill should make it feel like minus-20 or even colder.

But there’s good news: This weekend’s anticipated snowfall is now looking a little less severe than first feared, Millersville University meteorologist Eric Horst said midday Thursday.

Read more:

http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/update-friday-to-feel-like-siberia-in-lancaster-county-but/article_a4a72b96-b79f-11e4-b48d-23021d11af71.html

Weather Will Be A Bit Cooler Next Week, But Nowhere Near Icy

The logo of the United States National Weather Service. The source page states that is not an “official” version but it looks very close to the version used on NWS’s website. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The term “polar vortex” has crept back into the news as a mass of cooler air threatens to descend on the Great Lakes and farther south. But experts are dismissing that talk as so much, uh, hot air.

If the long-range forecasts hold true — and they often don’t — it’ll be a bit cooler than normal and you won’t have to run the air conditioner. That’s about it.

“I would shy away from using the term polar vortex,” said Tim Axford, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Pittsburgh. “Over the past six months that term has been used a lot and gotten a lot of media buzz for something that happens quite often.”

What may happen is a dip in the air currents that will send cooler air from Canada, giving us a few days of high and low temperatures about 10 degrees below normal, Mr. Axford said.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/local/region/2014/07/12/Weather-will-be-a-bit-cooler-next-week-not-nowhere-near-icy/stories/201407120015#ixzz37GuhWCLC

Pennsylvania Electricity Rates Spiking By As Much As 50 Percent

Blame it on the polar vortex.

Effective Sunday, Metropolitan Edison customers will see electricity generation rates spike 25.4 percent.

Overall, the company’s electric bills — of which generation is one part — are rising 16 percent, from $93 to nearly $108 a month for the average residential consumer using 750 kilowatt-hours a month, said Met-Ed spokesman Scott Surgeoner.

The reason is two-fold: Demand during the summer, when prices normally rise, is one factor, and the utility purchased some of the electricity for the upcoming three-month period “during the January polar vortex, when prices were extremely high,” he said.

Read more: http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/breaking-news/index.ssf/2014/05/pennsylvania_electricity_rates.html

Bolaris: Milder For Now But Polar Vortex To Return

Feb. 26 to March 3 should be the most volatile time frame, with the best chance of more snow and temperatures at least 15-20 degrees below normal. Daytime highs in the mid 20s and overnight lows in the coldest of locations near zero. This would be for a 2-3 day time period.

Exactly how cold it will get and whether we will see another major snow storm is still questionable, but bares some watching. You know I will keep you updated.

In the meantime, you have a GREAT WEEKEND to look forward to as Saturday should see temperatures in the low 50s with sunshine.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/Bolaris_Milder_for_now_but_polar_vortex.html#QfIkqGD0rqYmhgie.99