Winter Weather In Philadelphia Sends Shoppers Rushing To Hardware Stores

Several weeks of sleet, snow, and extreme cold across the Philadelphia region have translated into nonstop activity at local hardware stores, where winter supplies are selling as fast as they arrive.

“It’s been very, very busy, crazy here,” said an assistant manager at a Lansdale hardware store, describing steady customer traffic driven by repeated winter systems.

Inside the store, tools used for snow and ice removal have seen the strongest demand. One customer visited Tuesday night to purchase a shovel for a family member ahead of a possible snowstorm expected this weekend. The customer said ice melt was already on hand and a snowblower was not needed, but a shovel was still required. The purchase was made early out of concern that supplies could sell out.

“I got the ice melt already, I don’t need a snow blower, but the shovel we do need,” the customer said. The customer added that waiting could result in missing the opportunity to buy one. “I feel like if I wait too late, it’s gonna be gone, so I gotta get it now.”

The customer’s concern matched current conditions at the store. According to store staff, both salt and snowblowers are sold out, and restocking has been difficult as storms continue to arrive in close succession.

“It’s very, very challenging to keep up with the pace of the weather that’s been happening,” the assistant manager said. “It’s like every single weekend so far, it’s been insane.”

Winter is typically the slowest season for hardware retailers, but storms quickly reverse that pattern. After demand increased last weekend and with another system possible in the coming days, the store is focused on maintaining inventory. A shipment is expected sometime this week, with the goal of receiving it before snowfall begins.

As shoppers prepare, meteorologists are monitoring a developing winter storm that could affect the region late this weekend into early next week. On Wednesday morning, temperatures across the Philadelphia area dropped into the single digits, and forecasts call for continued cold through the weekend.

Highs are expected to stay in the teens and low 20s on Saturday and Sunday, with overnight lows in the single digits and teens. These conditions represent the coldest air experienced so far this season. Any snow that falls will be light and fluffy due to the temperature profile, producing higher snow-to-liquid ratios.

Forecasters expect ratios near 20:1, meaning 20 inches of snow from 1 inch of liquid water. Earlier this season, snow was much wetter, with ratios between 6:1 and 8:1. At a 20:1 ratio, half an inch of water would result in 10 inches of snow, a quarter inch would produce 5 inches, and three-quarters of an inch would equal 15 inches.

Snow totals will depend heavily on where the storm travels. Long-range forecast models currently show the storm center moving through the Carolinas and then northeast into the Atlantic. In Philadelphia, that placement could leave the region near the northern edge of the system or closer to its core.

Snow projections vary widely. If the city remains on the far northern side, snow amounts could range from a light coating up to 3 inches, while areas south of Philadelphia would receive more. If the storm tracks closer, totals could reach between 6 and 12 inches or more across the entire region.

Meteorologists say snowfall will vary sharply across the mid-Atlantic, with at least one area likely receiving extremely high totals. The range of outcomes has been compared to the story of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” with snow standing in for the porridge.

One long-range forecast, the European model, places the heaviest snow from Virginia through Philadelphia and into New York, indicating large accumulations. Another, the American model, places the highest totals from Tennessee through Delaware, which would mean lower amounts or no snow for Philadelphia. A third option, the National Blend of Models, places the heaviest snow from Virginia through northern Delaware, producing middle-range totals.

The winter storm is expected to develop over the southern Plains later this week before spreading snow and ice across the Deep South, the Tennessee Valley, and then the mid-Atlantic between late Saturday and Monday evening. Forecasters advise staying with the NEXT Weather Team for daily updates and preparing ahead of time with shovels and ice melt.

Depending on the timing and path of the storm between Saturday night and Monday, school delays or closures may be possible next Monday, January 26.