ROANOKE, Va. – Winter weather has brought light snow, sleet and ice accumulations to parts of our region through early Friday morning. Roads across much of the area are slick and/or covered. With low-level moisture locked in, temperatures will hover in the low to mid 30s with drizzle around.
While roads may improve a bit beyond the morning, we will still have to watch for slick spots throughout the day. Temperatures overnight fall below freezing - to about 29-32°.
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Timing
As another storm system moves in from the south, this sets the stage for another round of freezing rain after 6 or 7 a.m. Saturday. This will start near the North Carolina line and slowly drift north.
Most of this will be light, but it will be enough to make things problematic throughout the morning. That’s especially the case along and east of the Blue Ridge Parkway, where there’s more lift in the atmosphere to keep precipitation processes going.
As a southeast wind begins, we should start to see any freezing rain change to a chilly rain in parts of Grayson, Wythe, Carroll, Pulaski and Bland Counties by midday or early afternoon. Slightly warmer air may also creep into southern portions of Southside during this time as well.
Most of the system’s moisture shifts farther east as we head deeper into the afternoon and evening.
Totals and Impacts
As far as how much freezing rain/ice accumulation we see, it’s not enough to cause a crippling ice storm. However, it is enough to cause problems. Totals will be around 0.1-0.25″ along and east of the Blue Ridge Parkway and lower to the west. The roads are going to be icy at times Saturday. Plan to stay in if you can!
Anywhere that sees close to 0.25″ has the chance for power outages, but we don’t foresee this being a widespread threat.
Moving Forward
We’ll start with slick/icy spots Valentine’s Day morning and temperatures near freezing. Breakfast in bed sounds like a good idea!
As the day goes on, however, temperatures will rise into the 40s and things should start to melt/improve. We’ll be cloudy still with a few showers moving through later in the day.
Another batch of showers will be possible late Monday as well with a stronger storm system riding up from the south Tuesday. This storm’s exact location will determine how much cold air can be wedged in. We’re once again looking at the chance for freezing rain and rain Tuesday morning.
Stay tuned for updates on this active, cloudy, wet and (at times) wintry pattern.