ROANOKE, Va. – Sunday Evening Update:
As the coastal low pressure continues to strengthen, we will start to see the winds pick up more and more. Wind gusts will be strong and lasting into tomorrow, peaking in the 40 mph range.
Most of the region will remain dry for the remainder of the day. The snow will stick to the western portion of the Blue Ridge for the most part with Southside seeing some as well. That said, due to the previous temperatures Southside has been seeing, the ground will be too warm to see anything other than minor accumulation.
Even though a lot of us will miss out on this winter weather, we will still see frigid temperatures going into tonight.
Lows this evening will be in the freezing range and will feel very chilly with the addition of the gusty winds.
Mid-week we will return our temperatures into the 50s. Our next soaking day will be Thursday, but we should dry just in time to enjoy the upper 50s and low 60s for the weekend!
Sunday Morning:
There has been a lot of talk about the coastal system that will travel towards the north-eastern US. starting today. Our location in particular will be in what we call a “dry slot,” where most of the region will not be as affected by this system.
That said, areas west of the Blue Ridge could see a couple inches of accumulation locally. Counties in purple have an advisory stating they could see up to 3 inches while areas in pink have the potential to see up to 10 inches. Even though there is an advisory/warning for these areas, most will not see more than a trace amount.
We will continue to see rainfall over the coming hours with a majority being towards the east.
Due to the topography of the Blue Ridge Mountains, most of the moisture in for snowfall will be trapped to the west. Even with this, a could flurries may sneak into the Piedmont.
The snowfall will last into Monday and start to wrap up later in the day. By Tuesday, those areas will be left with mostly cloudy skies while the rest of us will see sunshine with the potential for a few clouds.
Back to today’s weather, we will not warm up much. High temperatures will not leave the 40s and the NRV will remain in the upper 30s.
Once this system passes, we will remain dry until late Wednesday night. Thursday will be yet another soaker of a day, where showers could start as early as Wednesday evening. Luckliy, we will dry up just in time for the weekend!