![\"Christkindlmarkt](\"https:\/\/static.lehigh-v.lehigh-valley.production.k1.m1.brightspot.cloud\/dims4\/default\/240a6aa\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/2268x4032+0+0\/resize\/880x1564!\/quality\/90\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Flehigh-valley-brightspot.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fd1%2Fc1%2Fd5e5b94f4257b0748557e242c904%2Fpxl-20251211-140336393-mp.jpg\")
<\/p>\nBETHLEHEM, Pa. \u2014 As temperatures continue to fall, the Lehigh Valley\u2019s December snow totals continue to climb.<\/p>\n
After a wintry blast Wednesday that dropped as much as 3.1 inches of snow in parts of the area, forecasters say more could be coming this weekend.<\/p>\n
The National Weather Service said another fast-moving system will sweep into the Great Lakes on Saturday. As it does, much colder Arctic air will push in behind it, spreading across the northern and central Plains.<\/p>\n
The system will help create a new upper-level disturbance that will move through the Ohio Valley and into the Mid-Atlantic. At the surface, an area of low pressure is expected to develop near the base of the disturbance and track through our region Saturday night.<\/p>\n
Forecast details still are coming together, but several models currently show the low forming near the Tennessee Valley and heading toward the mid-Atlantic, with snow expected to become the main type of precipitation as the system moves over the region.<\/p>\n
Timing, accumulation<\/p>\n
The latest guidance shows a moderate chance of accumulating snow late Saturday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do think Saturday is going to be a dry day,\u201d EPAWA meteorologist Bobby Martrich said in his latest video update. \u201cThen snow is going to come in overnight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Martrich said there\u2019s still some question about the exact axis of the system, and emphasized it\u2019s \u201cfast-moving and not going to turn into this big, gigantic storm.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has limited upside because it\u2019s moving so fast,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A jet streak will determine who gets the heaviest snowfall rates, he said, with an \u201cupside of maybe 2 to 4 inches. That\u2019s kind of what we\u2019re looking at.\u201d<\/p>\n
A jet streak in winter is a powerful, fast-moving core within the main jet stream, driven by bigger north-south temperature contrasts, according to the weather service.<\/p>\n
Jet streaks lead to intensified weather patterns such as stronger storms and significant cold air outbreaks, affecting precipitation and temperature across the United States and beyond.<\/p>\n
Martrich said the system might even be targeting areas that haven\u2019t seen snow yet, including southeastern Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia metro area.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you\u2019re in line for what should be a couple inches of snow,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Deterministic models early Thursday put the Lehigh Valley area at 3 to 4 inches, with snow beginning after midnight and tapering off Sunday morning. But outlooks could change, with lower totals possible.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Stephanie Sigafoos<\/p>\n
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LehighValleyNews.com<\/p>\n
A snowman inside Christkindlmarkt in Bethlehem.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m dreaming of a \u2026 warm Christmas?<\/p>\n
After the snow, a strong cold front will sweep through, bringing in much colder air, the weather service said.<\/p>\n
High temperatures will only reach the mid- to upper 20s Sunday, with northwest winds increasing to 15\u201320 mph with gusts up to 30 to 35 mph, creating wind chills in the teens to low 20s through the day.<\/p>\n
As of Thursday morning, Allentown\u2019s monthly average temperature was 28.3 degrees \u2014 a 9.1-degree departure from average.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the eighth-coldest start to December ever for the Lehigh Valley, but there are signs of moderating temperatures ahead, perhaps even warming into the upper 40s by late next week.<\/p>\n