Fourth ‘monster’ snowstorm brewing?

Philadelphia now isn't directly in the path of a possible "monster" storm starting late tomorrow night, but even getting whacked by its tail might mean a foot of snow.

If you catch my drift.

"For some people in upstate New York and eastern and northern Pennsylvania, this may seem more like a 'snow hurricane' rather than a blizzard," says AccuWeather.com, raising the spectre of gusts of nearly 75 m.p.h.

Reading and Allentown could be hard hit, along with other cities and towns from Williamsport, Pa., to Syracuse, N.Y., and Burlington, Vt., according to the State College, Pa.-based forecast firm.

It's too early to expect the worst, though, said meteorologist Dean Iovino of the National Weather Service in Mount Holly.

In the Philadelphia area, winds could be breezy, 15 to 25 m.p.h. - well short of blizzard criteria - and the snow might not be deep by the storm's end, Thursday night or possibly Friday.

"We won't be right in the heart of it, but we'll be close enough," Iovino said.

"That would be the high end, the foot amount," he said this morning."The low end is potentially little or nothing."

Late this afternoon, the low end was lifted significantly. "Present indications suggest maybe up to four inches of snow in Southern Delaware, perhaps 6 tor 10 inches in Philadelphia, and a foot or more in northern New Jersey and the Poconos," according to the service's revised discussion.

"Of course, the amounts are subject to change as we get closer to the snow event. Another major concern with the system is strong winds. The system will be quite impressive and wind gusts in excess of 40 mph are not out of the question for Thursday into Friday."

Only one overnight computer model "would have the fourth major snowstorm of the season happen for much of the region," according to the Mount Holly office's website. Others may be beginning to agree.

This morning, many Philadelphians must have been feeling spared, since the overnight precipitation fell as rain - with none of the freezing drizzle or snow that was seen from Bucks County north.

This afternoon and tonight, the Philadelphia area should see more rain, possibly with light snow mixed in later - mostly nuisance weather - since temperatures should stay above freezing, Iovino said.

Sleet, freezing rain and snow are a worry mostly for areas to the north.

If the snow is significant, it could snow in Philadelphia and its surrounding counties for most of Thursday.

Even a foot of snow would mean another storm for the record books, marking perhaps the first time that a season has had four double-digit snowfalls in Philadelphia, Iovino said.

Any snow at all, of course, keeps adding to the local records for snow in a season and in February.

For more on the forecast, go to http://weather.philly.com.