National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Wildfire Smoke and Severe Thunderstorms in the East; Monsoon Thunderstorms in the Southwest

Wildfire smoke continues to impact air quality from the Great Lakes region into New England and the Mid-Atlantic today with widespread Air Quality Alerts in effect. Severe thunderstorms are expected across portions of the Ohio Valley and Lower Great Lakes into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, this afternoon into the evening. Monsoonal thunderstorms may bring areas of flooding to the Southwest. Read More >

Overview

A progressive upper level shortwave trough brought a period of mixed wintry precipitation to central Pennsylvania during the early morning hours on February 6, 2025. Cold air damming east of the Allegheny Front to the south of a retreating 1030mb high pressure system was reinforced by evaporative cooling effects as precipitation expanded into a low dewpoint airmass. However, the air above the boundary layer did warm quickly, with a sharp nose of warm air advection within the 850-650mb layer. Some areas briefly saw snow, but the dominant precipitation types were sleet and freezing rain. Travel conditions were at their worst during the predawn hours and early morning commute. Snow and sleet accumulations ranged from a coating to 1 inch. Ice accretion of 0.20 to 0.40 inch was observed in portions of Cambria and Lancaster Counties.  Image
Analysis of ice accretion reports on Feb 6, 2025.
Image Image
WPC Surface Analysis valid 09z Feb 6, 2025. ACARS sounding at Harrisburg International Airport at 1220z Feb 6, 2025. A mix of rain and sleet was observed at the time of the sounding.
nws logo Media use of NWS Web News Stories is encouraged!
Please acknowledge the NWS as the source of any news information accessed from this site.
nws logo