Calm for now, but bitter cold and wintry precipitation pushes in late this week

• Staying dry for Wednesday before big changes are in store
• Mix of precipitation types with Thursday and Friday’s fronts- Weather Alert Days issued.
• Friday through the Christmas weekend: Big drop in temperature and strong, gusty winds

TONIGHT & WEDNESDAY

Another cool night is expected as we lose that heat from the day. Overnight lows will fall into the 20s.

We stay quiet, dry, and chilly through Wednesday. Overall, expect a mix of sun and clouds with highs in the 30s and 40s.

If you think the forecast is cold now then get ready! We are tracking bitter cold temperatures, windy conditions and even the chance for some light, wintry weather by late this week. Some precipitation will start to move in late Wednesday and into early Thursday in the form of a cold rain with pockets of a wintry mix. This starts the series of changes for our week.

WEATHER ALERT DAYS FOR THURSDAY AND FRIDAY

Winter will feature a fitting entry late this week as a powerful cold front blasts through bringing many forms of active weather. We have issued Weather Alert Days for both Thursday and Friday. Here’s the details:

• First, a cold rain with pockets of a wintry mix set the stage for the morning of Thursday before all precipitation is a cold rain for the afternoon and evening. Morning, wintry mix setup will be best placed for our higher elevation spots starting late Wednesday (past midnight) and continuing into Thursday morning. During the afternoon as temperatures warm up we will see widespread rain showers and lose the chance for wintry precipitation.
• The Highlands may see a mix of snow, freezing rain and sleet at times. The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for Highland county due to snow and ice potential.

• Afternoon highs on Thursday will be in the 30s and low 40s across the WDBJ7 viewing area. Winds will start to pick up in speed late Thursday.

THURSDAY ICE: Less than 1/10th of an inch mainly along/west of the Blue Ridge Parkway is expected.

THURSDAY RAIN: Around .50″ to 1″ is possible. Rain continues into Friday morning before we see a switchover to light snow showers.

• Thursday night into Friday another system pushes in. We will mainly see rain showers Thursday night and to start off our Friday, but this is a strong front that will cross through bringing a big drop in temperatures. Temperatures Friday morning will actually be our highs for that day in the low-mid 30s. Throughout the day on Friday temperatures plummet. Since cold air is rushing in rain will change over briefly to snow for the first half of the day. Drier, but very windy conditions build in during Friday afternoon.
• Right now it is still to early to give exact snow amounts, but most models are hinting at light accumulations mainly for areas west of the parkway. Typically, with these events, the higher snowfall totals will be along the VA/WV border toward Lewisburg and into the ski areas of West Virginia. Any windblown snow making it east of the mountains would be light. Check back for updates!

MAIN CONCERNS FOR FRIDAY

• FRIGID AIR: One concern for Friday is the possibility for a flash freeze thanks to the frigid temperatures speeding in. Wet roadways could freeze quickly and may become slick. Temperatures by late Friday afternoon will be in the teens in the mountains, to lower 30s across the piedmont east of Lynchburg/Danville. Temperatures keep falling overnight, likely reaching the teens for most by Saturday morning.

• DANGEROUS WIND CHILLS: Strong winds push in mainly on Friday as a strong pressure gradient moves in with this front. Right now looks like wind gusts could top 40 MPH for most hometowns. This could lead to sporadic power outages, blowing snow, and dangerous wind chills. Models are hinting at wind chill values Friday afternoon to already read in the teens and single digits.

DETAILS:

SATURDAY & SUNDAY

We dry out but stay very cold for Christmas weekend. Saturday (Christmas Eve) will be windy with dangerous wind chills slipping below zero in the mountains. Some areas could even have wind chills drop to 15 below zero.

Sunday will feature slowly diminishing winds along with a very slight uptick in temperatures. Most still remain below freezing throughout the day. Looks like this could be the coldest Christmas we have seen since the year 2000.

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