Update on Freezing Rain Potential

Evening data continues to suggest the threat for some freezing rain late Friday evening into early Saturday morning. The push of low-level cold air could be far enough south to include all of the metro area in a risk to see some light icing. The primary time period to see freezing will be between 9 PM and 3 AM, with freezing drizzle possible for a few hours longer, especially north of Richmond. I've updated the risk graphic to indicate where I think we'll see the best chance of ice. -Zach

Freezing Rain Possible Saturday Morning

It appears as though the least welcomed type of winter weather could make an appearance in the state this weekend. A fairly strong (1028 mb) area of high pressure will build into New England Friday into Saturday, with the wind flow around this high moving in a clockwise direction. This air mass will be cold and dry, with the coldest air hugging close to the surface because of its relatively high density. The air will move freely southeast, south, and southwest, but will not be able to move west over the Appalachians. Instead of flowing up and over the mountains, the cold air will funnel down the east side of the mountain chain. This process is called "cold air damming", or "the wedge effect", and allows the shallow cold air associated with strong high pressure to spill as far south as Georgia along the east side of the Appalachians. Because the sub-freezing air will be so shallow, rain will fall in liquid form, but will freeze on contact to all objects at the surface. While the rain should be light during the time of sub-freezing surface temperatures, even a minor accretion of ice will cause problems. The graphic I created indicates where I think icing will be possible, and highlights where I think the greatest risk will exist. I'll continue to monitor the latest model data, and will have another update here tomorrow. -Zach

Second coldest morning of Winter

The coldest morning so far this Winter season is still January 4th, when Richmond International Airport reported a low temperature of 17 degrees. But this morning was almost as cold as that, with lows area-wide in the upper teens and low 20s:

Richmond's low of 19 degrees is our second coldest this Winter, and only our second morning this season of falling into the teens.

Here are Richmond's other cold Winter mornings thus far this season:
Jan 15, 2012: 23 degrees
Jan 2, 2012: 23 degrees
Dec 29, 2011: 25 degrees

--Meteorologist Carrie Rose