Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Tuesday Noon Update

It's already snowing at this time along I-81 and east into parts of Albemarle, Greene, and Madison Counties at Noon. You can see traffic cameras here to see the snow falling in that part of the state. Rain showers will gradually overspread the rest of Central Virginia this afternoon, then mix with and changeover to snow this evening before Midnight. Because surface temperatures will remain above freezing in most locations overnight, roads will remain wet, with wet snow accumulation on the grass and other elevated surfaces. Most of the area will receive a trace up to an inch of snow accumulation. However, we are expecting a narrow band of higher totals to occur overnight, likely from south-central Virginia in between I-85 and I-95 south of Petersburg, possibly as far northeast as Hampton Roads. Even here, though, accumulation will not stick to the roads, but may reduce visibilities when the heavy snow falls overnight into early Wednesday morning. Snow flurries and showers will linger in the region Wednesday afternoon, but not lead to additional accumulation.

Weather Update Tuesday Morning

A low pressure storm system is currently tracking along the Gulf Coast of the Florida panhandle, with the storm's strong upper low moving through the Southeast U.S. Rain is expanding into South Carolina this morning from Georgia, and will continue to head northeast toward Central Virginia this afternoon. Rain is expected to mix with wet snow tonight, before completely changing over to snow around Midnight tonight. However, because surface temperatures will remain above freezing in the area overnight and tomorrow, the only accumulation possible will be on grass and elevated surfaces. Most snowfall totals will be low, generally an inch or less. But some locations in Central Virginia, especially east and southeast of Petersburg, may see a band of heavier snow overnight into early Wednesday morning which may produce a couple inches of wet snowfall. Roads will remain wet in the area, not icy or snow-covered, and whatever snow does accumulate will not stick around for long as high temperatures rise to around 40 degrees Wednesday. At this time, no watches, warnings, or advisories have been issued for Central Virginia.