Weather or Not

Chances are decent that Philadelphia will get its first measurable of the season this weekend.

This will not be an all-out supermarket-panic situation, however, as it is almost a lock that the snow will change to rain before any important accumulation.

A large storm is approaching from the Southwest, and cold air will be in place Saturday night and Sunday morning.

Since the storm is expected to pass north and west of Philadelphia, the region will be on the warm side of the wind circulation, and that should eventually chase out the cold air.

As the National Weather Service notes in its morning discussion, the key issue for accumulating snow will be how soon the precipitation starts.

The agency says there’s a 40 percent chance it will start in the early-morning hours, with a changeover by noon in Philadelphia.

It looks like it won't be a particularly pleasant day to be in the stands at Lincoln Financial Field for the Eagles-Seawhaws game.

At may not be very pleasant on the field either, as it is at least possible that some frozen precipitation will persist into the afternoon.

Just to the west of the region, where the frozen stuff might start sooner and last longer, a “winter storm watch” has been posted.

Expect some of the details to change in the next 24 hours, but the models have been fairly consistent on the general path of the storm.