ROANOKE, Va. – The clocks sprung forward early Sunday morning, but the weather didn’t get the memo. In a winter that’s been a “snoozefest,” it’s only fitting that wintry weather shows up now.
Timing
Periods of snow will be around early in the morning Sunday, with a layer of warm air above the surface changing precipitation over to a mix of freezing rain and sleet west of I-77 after sunrise.
While snow and/or snow mixed with rain continues farther east, parts of the New River Valley (especially south of US 460) will tap into that warmth above and see a changeover to sleet and freezing rain too.
Heading beyond midday, precipitation will be mixed but it will mostly be scattered as well.
Totals
Most of the snow we see, especially below the 2,500 foot level, will either melt or stick to the grass, hand rails, etc. Main roads like I-81, US 460, US 220 and US 29 should mostly be in good shape. It would have to come down heavily to overcome melting on the road surfaces.
Keep in mind that the totals you see above are at the height of this system. There will be some melting after it falls.
Parts of Grayson, Carroll and Floyd Counties see more ice from about 8 or 9 a.m. into the early afternoon, while areas north of that have the potential for lighter ice totals.
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Beyond Sunday
Monday will be breezy with increasing sun and highs in the 40s and 50s. Any snow showers on the back edge of our storm will mostly target the west-facing slopes both Monday and Tuesday. (A few stragglers make it east of the West Virginia-Virginia border.)
Once our storm moves offshore and strengthens near New England, we’ll pull in colder air along a strong wind heading into Tuesday. Highs will be in the 30s and 40s (lower wind chills).
Temperatures Monday and Tuesday mornings will be around freezing, but the coldest mornings will be Wednesday and Thursday. This is when temperatures drop into the 20s.
This comes as a bit of a shock to the system, given that fruit trees have bloomed weeks ahead of schedule.
We’ll bounce back into spring ahead of a late week storm system. Thursday and Friday’s highs reach the 60s before rain moves west to east late Friday into early Saturday.
Join Meteorologist Marshall Downing for a 3 p.m. weather update: