Forecast: Chilly night temps, hint of snow to the north

We likely won’t need shovels or ice melt just yet, but the first sign of the return of winter weather in Western Pennsylvania could come this week.

With a low temperature of 31 degrees forecast for Thursday, moisture in the air could turn to snow flurries in some parts of the region, according to the National Weather Service office in Moon.

“The best chances of seeing any snow is going to be north of Interstate 80 in the ridges of the Laurel Highlands and northern West Virginia,” said meteorologist Chris Leonardi. “If there’s any snow, it will be light and it will fall in the evening when the temperature drops.”

The dip in the temperature is caused by a “trough” or an area of lower pressure in the upper atmosphere, Leonardi said.

Today’s high temperature is expected to be around 51 degrees with increasing clouds before turning mostly cloudy with a low of 40 tonight.

There is a 20% chance of rain showers on Tuesday followed by a combination of sunny and cloudy skies for the remainder of the week.

While the daytime temperatures will be the upper 40s, it will cool to the lower 30s during the night.