Snow out west, freeze warnings in Pa.

Bemidji State University junior Karley Terwey walking to class Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012 as Bemidji, Minn., received over an inch of snow. (Monte Draper / Bemidji Pioneer)

By Peter Mucha, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted: October 09, 2012

Summer is over.

Snow fell over the weekend from Montana to Kansas, dropping about a half-foot in parts of Colorado and Nebraska, according to the National Weather Service. Upper Michigan also saw a little snow.

In Pennsylvania, temperatures hit the freezing mark this morning in the Pittsburgh area, and frost advisories were issued for many central counties for this morning and overnight Tuesday.

Sunday, Philadelphia had its coolest temperatures since April, with a low of 48 and a high of 54.

Tonight could be even chillier, dipping into the mid 40s, with highs in the upper 50s the next two days.

Some rain is also possible today, likely tonight, and possible again Tuesday and Tuesday night.

After a high in the upper 60s Wednesday, temperatures will dip again for a few days. Highs should be the low to mid 60s, under fair skies, till Sunday, when the low 70s are predicted, with a chance of rain.

October typically brings a steady cooldown, with normal highs declining from the low 70s at the start of the month to about 60 by Halloween.

Last year, October even saw a rare snowfall - three-tenths of an inch officially in Philadelphia - on the 29th, and Oct. 31 was the first date to fall below freezing.

This winter, the Philadelphia area should top its seasonal average of about 22.6 inches of snow, according to AccuWeather's seasonal forecast.

Last winter, only about 4 inches of snow was measured at Philadelphia International Airport.

For more on the forecast, go to http://weather.philly.com/US/PA/Philadelphia.html.

Contact staff writer Peter Mucha at 215-854-4342 or pmucha@phillynews.com.