Philly Is Looking at About a Foot of Snow This Weekend

The National Weather Service’s latest forecast predicts snowfall totals from 11 to 12 inches in the area through Saturday evening. Flooding at the Jersey Shore could be historic.

NWS - snowfall prediction

Snowfall preciction via National Weather Service

The snow is coming. And now we know how much it could be.

The latest forecast from the National Weather Service’s Mt. Holly Bureau predicts snowfall totals up to 16 inches in the Philadelphia area, with about 11 inches of snow predicted for the Philadelphia area through 7 p.m. on Saturday. The storm isn’t expected to stop there, so we could get even more snowfall before the end of the weekend.

The worst-case scenario is not that much more dire, with about 16 inches of snow falling in Philadelphia through 7 p.m. Saturday. Some sleet and freezing rain will be mixed in with the snow. Heavy wind gusts will make conditions treacherous, no matter how much snow we end up with.

We’re going to get the worst of it in the state. It should start snowing sometime Friday evening, with snow continuing well into Saturday. Conditions will be bad for the whole weekend.

Snow - Philly skyline - Artist's conception

No, we won’t be getting this much snow this weekend. (Photo illustration, if you somehow couldn’t tell)

It could be worse for people down the shore. Winds could be gusting up to 60 miles per hour in coastal regions. And high tide and heavy winds will start in the middle of the night, meaning it could catch some off guard. Experts say flooding at the Jersey Shore could be among the worst ever.

https://twitter.com/SStirling/status/689893550859882496

So what can you do, aside from stocking up on bread, eggs and milk and lame jokes about people stocking up on bread, eggs, and milk? The National Weather Service has you covered there, too:

It’s been a while since we’ve had snow, but unless you’re less than a year old you’ve experienced a snowstorm. If you’re above the age of, like, five you’ve experienced a storm as bad as this one. Don’t panic. Stop acting like this is the first snowstorm in history. You know what to do. You’ve gotten through snowstorms before. Maybe you’ve even had fun in them! You can get through this one.

Follow @dhm on Twitter.