Skiff of Snow Tuesday; Late Week Potential?
Good morning folks! We'll wrap up the weekend today with passing high clouds and periods of sunshine, alongside NW winds around 10 - 25mph after midday and temps right around normal for early January (mid - upper 40's). Monday through Wednesday brings us fair weather except for a light shot of snow Tuesday for the TN line and nearby ridgelines, as a short lived NW flow snow event pops up up Tuesday morning. Temps Monday through Wednesday will be comfortable as they reach the upper 40's - mid 50's across the lower elevations, while the higher elevations above 4000' hold to the upper 30's - low 40's. We are watching with interest the Thursday - Friday timeframe as the models show some potential for snow to fall across the region and for those who live above 3500', the chances are even higher as the limiting factor looks to be whether or not enough cold air will be in place before moisture arrives. This is not set in stone and we are not ones to hype a possible event 4 - 5 days out but this does bear watching and we will provide a much more in depth breakdown in our next discussion Tuesday morning. On a side note, we will likely have to wait till the middle of this week to find out Highlands' official 2020 rainfall total as it needs to be verified/entered after the holiday break (majority of NWS employees are currently on holiday leave).
Beyond the quiet, albeit windy end to the weekend today, we will experience a colder night tonight as temps dip into the mid - upper 20's across the region under clearing skies after midnight.
Monday through Wednesday brings us mostly sunny skies and temps will warm to the low - mid 50's Monday, cool down slightly to the upper 40's Tuesday and return to the mid 50's Wednesday across the lower elevations. For those who live nearby or directly along the TN line, you will experience light snow showers Tuesday with a mixed bag of clouds and sun, with enough snow falling for a light dusting, possibly an inch or two in the Smokies. The higher elevations above 4000' will be noticeably colder Monday through Wednesday, with afternoon highs only reaching the upper 30's each afternoon and Tuesday in particular will be windy, with NW winds around 15 - 25mph. Overnight lows settle into the upper 20's - mid 30's Monday night under a few clouds, dropping to the low - upper 20's Tuesday night as cold air advection continues across the region and they'll warm back up to the low - mid 30's Wednesday night under increasing clouds.
Our next big event is scheduled for Thursday into Friday and as of Sunday morning the models hint at a possible snow event for the region, with a better chance for all snow above 3500', while the rest of us across the valleys possibly contend with a mixed bag of precip. This is not set in stone as several other models show a cold rain but the trend over the past 36 hours has been to keep enough cold air in place to allow for an all snow event. We'll stop here to not get everyone overly excited but we do recommend checking back in this week with us or your other preferred weather outlet to stay informed on this possible snow event.
Our next discussion will come out Tuesday morning.