Thursday night’s winter storm system proved to be worse than initially predicted.
Early forecasts pegged snowfall totals of one to two inches in Kent and Sussex Counties, with four to seven expected in New Castle Counties.
The deepest measurements across the state were was eight inches in New Castle County, 7.5 inches in Kent and 6.9 inches in Sussex.
Sarah Johnson, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, says there’s a reason for that.
“The track of the storm system came a little closer to the area than what the models had first been showing," said Johnson. "So that was the big difference there.”
The system’s effects won’t immediately disappear. While skies are clear with no snow in the forecast, that’s only going to bring bitterly cold temperatures to the Delmarva Peninsula. Windy conditions will calm down overnight, but the static air temperature will plummet into the mid-single digits with highs remaining below freezing for Saturday.
Johnson says short term forecast predicts erratic changes in the mercury.
“It’s going to be a little bit of a temperature rollercoaster for the next few days. It’s still going to be very cold tonight. We’re looking at lows in the single digits and then we’ll see a gradual warm up as we go through the next two days,” said Johnson.
The mercury will return to normal for Sunday and Monday afternoon, but a cold front looms on the horizon Monday night. That is expected to push lows back to the single digits with highs only in the teens on Tuesday.