Rain to Snow Looks Likely for the Metro

The storm system that will move into the area this week will be mostly rain (by duration), but will end as snow. I expect to see rain arriving after dark Tuesday night. Here's how I think things will look at 11 PM Tuesday (It's likely the rain will arrive a little earlier):




I expect to see all rain in central VA during the day Wednesday. We'll see a transition from rain to snow occur across the area close to sunset. Here's how things should look around 5 PM:




By 9 PM Wednesday, the metro should be seeing a wet snow that could be heavy at times. This snow will be due to the upper-level low that will be very intense. It wouldn't surprise me to hear a rumble of thunder or two as it is snowing, especially in areas to our east. The snow will be falling into surface temps that are still a few degrees above freezing, so although I think we could see a couple of inches of accumulation, it will occur on grassy surfaces, rooftops, etc. Roads might still be slick for the Thursday AM commute as the roads will be wet and temps will likely fall below freezing by sunrise. Here's a look at the way things should look at 9 PM Wed, followed by the temps at 7 AM Thursday: