Friday, February 27, 2009

1-2 Punch Over Next 3 Days

Low pressure across the Southeast tonight will move through the Carolinas and just off the Virginia coast Saturday. Rain will increase in coverage and intensity during the day Saturday, with much of central Virginia getting a good soaking of much needed rainfall. A second more potent upper-level low will move from the Central Plains tonight through the Southeast Saturday, and then up the Mid-Atlantic coast Sunday. There is the potential for accumulating snowfall in central Virginia Sunday night into early Monday with this second storm system. The latest data continues to suggest that the heaviest snow will fall along and southeast of a line from Kilmarnock to New Kent to Emporia. Any shift of the storm’s track, which this far out is more than likely to occur, will take the heaviest snow either more inland or more offshore. Stay With CBS 6, We'll Keep You Ahead of the Storm.

Colder Temperatures To Return

A combination of two storm systems will bring some much-needed rainfall to the Commonwealth this weekend, starting with scattered showers Friday afternoon and evening. A second, stronger storm system will move through the Deep South this weekend and to the coast, and is expected to bring more widespread rainfall to Central Virginia Saturday and Sunday.

Colder air will also be moving into place on the North and West side of this low, which will allow some of the rain to become a winter mix and snow in parts of the Southeast. There is a chance eastern and southeastern parts of Virginia could receive snowfall at the beginning of next week as well from this system, but we will be watching its development and progress closely this weekend.

I mentioned that colder air—there is a 20+ degree drop behind that cold front as it is moving through the mid-section of the country Friday morning. For example, in St. Louis, MO, the front passed overnight, dropping about 20 degrees in six hours, from a temperature of 60 degrees at 9 p.m. Thursday to 39 degrees by 3 a.m. Friday. I do not expect as drastic a temperature drop in Central Virginia from this front. Temperatures will fall gradually from the upper 40’s early Saturday morning to the low 40’s by Saturday afternoon.

Colder-than-average temperatures will stay with us into the middle of next week.

--Carrie--