An unseasonable blend of snow and sleet jolted central Pennsylvanians early Tuesday afternoon, 43 days after spring started.
It wasn’t enough to accumulate in most areas, but the cold mix did help to halt an Altoona Curve game in Blair County. The game broke for a rain delay at 12:05 p.m. — after the fifth inning — and didn’t resume, said Mike Passanisi, a media-relations assistant. (The Harrisburg Senators schooled the Curve, 3-2.)
At AccuWeather.com, meteorologist John Feerick said Penfield Mountain on Interstate 80 and Cresson Mountain on U.S. Route 22 saw some snowy accumulation, estimated at an inch or two. ‘Basically, it looks like (the accumulation) was around 2,000 feet and above,’ he said.
State College had no such accumulation, though more than a quarter-inch of rain fell Tuesday on the Centre Region, Feerick said. Rainy, dreary conditions will continued into the night.
The area should dry out and begin to warm up Wednesday before another storm arrives late Thursday, according to AccuWeather.com. Wednesday’s high is expected to be around 60 degrees, about 10 degrees warmer than Tuesday.
By Friday, Feerick said, ‘I think we will get a prolonged period of dry that will last through the weekend.’ Forecasts call for sunshine Saturday and Sunday with highs near 70 degrees.
As for the mid-May snow, it’s unusual, but it’s not unheard of, Feerick said. He said State College typically sees May snow once every three or four years. Two years ago this week, in fact, the area had a snowfall that accumulated on some lawns.
‘That one was actually a little bit freakier, so to speak,’ Feerick said.
