UPDATE:
This Weather Authority Alert Day has been cleared as of 11:35 a.m. on Dec. 2.
Tuesday Morning Update
Winter weather advisories are in place until 12pm today for most of Southwest Virginia.
A wintry mix continues through sunrise for a lot of the Highlands and mountain tops across the area. Rain showers take over as temperatures slowly warm.
Most of the rain pushes out by lunch hour today with a few snow showers possible along the west facing slopes.
The overall setup continues to bring cold air and moisture into the mid-Atlantic and northeast.
Light snow showers are likely through the evening for parts of the NRV and Highlands.
The worst of the weather pushes offshore and northeast later this evening, and will bring wintry conditions to the northeast sector of the Country.
Gusty winds quickly follow the departure of the rain. Winds max out around 20mph.
Monday Morning Update
Today will be a tale of two seasons. As of 8:05 this morning, we are clear, cold, and dry! However, that will not be the story this evening and overnight tonight.
Winter weather advisories have been issued for the counties shaded in purple from 7 PM tonight until noon on Tuesday.
This will mainly be a freezing rain event and will impact the Tuesday morning commute.
A wintry mix overspreads the region by 2 AM Tuesday, with the northern portions of our viewing area starting as snow.
After sunrise, any mixed precipitation will quickly turn to rain, barring the higher elevations.
Even after the transition to rainfall, we will still see potential impacts on the roadways. Be sure to plan extra time for the Tuesday morning commute and take it slow on the roads!
Sunday Night Update
It certainly didn’t take long for our first impactful storm of the season to arrive.
A low-pressure system will bring in a plethora of precipitation types overnight Monday into Tuesday. Snow, freezing rain, sleet, and rain are all expected to fall within our viewing area.
Snow accumulations will be essentially non-existent, as freezing rain will be the dominant type of wintry precipitation. Once sunrise arrives, most of that freezing rain will transition over to rain, leading to a soaking throughout the morning. Temperatures hovering just around freezing are the primary driver of the fluctuations in precipitation types.
While the duration of this event will not be long, it could certainly be impactful, particularly west of I-81. Patches of ice are likely to develop between 12 a.m. and 5 a.m., so if you work an overnight shift or are on the roads, be careful.
Once this wintry mess switches over to rain, it’ll continue throughout the morning before clearing up around lunchtime. Afterwards, breezy conditions will persist, and bring in some overcast skies to wrap up Tuesday.
Remember that even minuscule amounts of ice can cause a vehicle to slide. Backroads and neighborhood streets are likely to see the most hazardous conditions.
We will continue to update this article as conditions progress.