Prepare now for potential 'high-impact winter storm,' experts say

The National Weather Service said the timing for the forecast storm looks to be Friday through Saturday night for the Lehigh Valley region.

So what does the potential for late-week snow mean right now in the Lehigh Valley region?

Prepare, experts say.

The National Weather Service on Monday said the timing for precipitation of some kind looks to be Friday through Saturday night for the region. But forecasters at its Philadelphia region forecast office won't go public with how much snow is possible until the pre-dawn hours Wednesday.

We could be measuring snow in feet, not inches this weekend

"The potential exists for a high-impact winter storm," the weather service said in a briefing late Monday afternoon from its Mount Holly, New Jersey, office.

The briefing hedges, in saying: "Right now this storm is still several days away. It should be noted a track closer to the coast would result in more rain and a track further offshore would lessen the overall impacts. Computer models are still differing on the ultimate solution, which is very common several days from the event."

This National Weather Service graphic issued Jan. 18, 2016, puts Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton plus northwestern New Jersey directly in the center of the mid-Atlantic region most likely to see a winter storm Jan. 22-23, 2016. (Courtesy image | For lehighvalleylive.com) 

But as of Monday, a weather service graphic put Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton and northwestern New Jersey directly in the center of the mid-Atlantic region most likely to see the storm.

"Right now, the highest impacts from this winter storm are generally north and west of Philadelphia," the briefing states.

The takeaway, for now, is preparedness, said Hunterdon County's emergency management coordinator, Brayden Fahey.

"Monitor future forecasts, inventory resources and take appropriate measures to prepare for a potentially significant winter storm approximately four days from now," he said in an email Monday.

Mount Holly-based weather service forecaster Gary Szatkowski echoed Fahey's advice in a series of tweets Monday afternoon:

Threat continues for region to experience a high impact winter storm, with heavy snow, high winds and major coastal flooding late this week.

-- Gary Szatkowski (@GarySzatkowski) January 18, 2016

Again, at this point, you should be continuing to monitor the forecast and make preparations for a high impact winter storm.

-- Gary Szatkowski (@GarySzatkowski) January 18, 2016

If you want to go through a winter storm checklist to make sure you are prepared, visit https://t.co/rZPhXyVsWP

-- Gary Szatkowski (@GarySzatkowski) January 18, 2016

In the nearer term, the weather service says there is the possibility of light accumulating snow Wednesday night, resulting in spotty half-inch totals in eastern Pennsylvania.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.