Freezing Rain Potential

Freezing Rain Advisories are still in effect tonight and into early tomorrow. This includes most of northern and western Virginia, where temperatures will stay below freezing as rain overspreads the area. It is strongly encouraged to postpone any travel into these areas until temperatures rise above freezing.


Here is a look at the regional forecast for tomorrow. The shades of pink indicate the freezing rain. You can see that most of it tapers in the afternoon.

Winter Storm Watch Issued

A large and slow-moving storm system will spread rain into the area late Thursday night, with rain continuing into Christmas Day. Shallow surface cold air across western Virginia, especially in the valleys, will allow the rain to freeze on contact. An accumulation of up to one-quarter of an inch of ice will be possible in the watch area. While there could be a brief period of freezing rain in counties farther east, the period of time of below normal temperatures coinciding with rainfall appears very short.

Long Range Forecast: Cold

After looking at the latest long range data, it looks like temperatures will remain generally cooler than normal for the rest of December and into early January.