Cold and Sunny this Wknd; Snow Tues?
Good morning folks! Some of us are seeing light snow with little to no accumulations, while a good portion of the region remains dry under cloudy skies. This minor round of snow this morning is better than I thought possible, with no returns on the radar, indicating the system is able to squeeze out what limited moisture is available. I am not saying we are in for a shut down event but I do think a dusting to an inch is back in play for the area, with a better shot at accumulating snow the closer one is to the SC state line, with smaller amounts and lower chances along the TN line. This system will bring the Piedmont and Coastal Plain more accumulating snow, sleet, and ice than we will see here in WNC. All of the action will be over with later this evening and then we'll enjoy a stretch of sunny and dry weather, however temps remain below normal through Sunday, returning to normal levels (mid - upper 40's in the valleys) on Monday. This three day stretch of sunshine comes to an end Tuesday with a likely round of snow or sleet/ice for the region. Details remain fuzzy this far out, but signs are pointing to an elevation dependent event. Temps dip back to below normal levels late Tuesday and stick around through the end of next week, with sunshine returning Wednesday afternoon as the system departs the Southeast. All in all, a somewhat normal winter weekend and work/school week lies ahead.
Kicking off the timeline Saturday morning we'll wake up to temps in the low - upper teens across SW NC and temps will only make it to the upper 20's above 4500', hitting the low - mid 40's across the valleys. Sunny skies sit overhead all day and a steady north wind around 5 - 10mph will be present throughout the day, switching over to a westerly wind and picking up to 20mph overnight into Sunday; mostly clear skies overhead with temps in the low - upper teens.
Eventually the wind direction will swing around to a southerly flow as the day progresses Sunday, allowing temps to climb into the low 30's - mid 40's under another round of sunshine. Overnight lows settle into the mid teens - low 20's under clear skies.
Monday continues to pump moisture into the region ahead of the next system, albeit slowly and temps finally reach the mid 30's - upper 40's depending upon elevation under sunny skies. A wave of low pressure approaches the region later in the day and clouds are likely to develop before sunset, filling in overnight into Tuesday; temps in the mid - upper 20's.
Light snow could break out as early as sunrise Tuesday but we are only mentioning the possibility this far out in time as this timeline is likely to change. Keep an eye on this event and check other outlets for additional context as this event could be strong enough to cause delays or shutdowns for a day or longer. I'll stop here and circle back Sunday morning with more details. ENJOY the weekend!