Up to 3 inches of sleet, snow and ice expected in York County

The weather will do a sudden pivot back to winter after York County enjoyed a high  temperature of 69 — the highest so far this year — on Wednesday.

A winter weather advisory will be in effect from 7 p.m. Thursday to 10 a.m. Friday for central Pennsylvania. It includes York, Cumberland, Adams and Franklin counties.

Expect a wintry mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow overnight before it turns to all rain Friday morning, the National Weather Service said.

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Meteorologists are predicting up to 3 inches of sleet and snow as well as less than an inch of ice accumulation. AccuWeather is predicting little to no snow acclamation. 

Plan on slippery roads that will make the morning commute hazardous, the NWS said. Travel north of Route 22 in particular will be significantly impacted overnight through mid-morning Friday. Route 22 runs north of Harrisburg. 

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"Any snow at the beginning of the precipitation this evening will quickly turn to sleet," the NWS said. "Several hours of sleet will be followed by several hours of freezing rain. This combination will create a thick layer of ice."

Temperatures will gradually warm to just above freezing in most places late Thursday or on Friday morning, according to the NWS.

Gusty winds on Friday may lead to power outages as icy trees and branches could fall onto power lines that will also be impacted by ice and winds, the NWS said. 

Here's the forecast from the NWS:

Thursday: A slight chance of flurries, freezing rain and sleet before 11 a.m., then a slight chance of rain, snow, and sleet between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., then a slight chance of snow after 5 p.m.. Cloudy, with a high near 33. North wind 5 to 8 mph becoming light and variable. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Thursday night: Rain and sleet likely between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m., then freezing rain and sleet. Low around 28. East wind 3 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New ice accumulation of around a 0.1 of an inch possible. New sleet accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Friday: Rain before 11 a.m., then scattered showers between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. High near 44. Light and variable wind becoming west 12 to 17 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Friday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 22. Northwest wind 5 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 39. Northwest wind 5 to 9 mph.

— Reach Harper Ho at hho@yorkdispatch.com or on Twitter at @howdyhoharper.