Steve signing in at 11:23 AM, a little later this morning because I wanted to look over the latest forecast model data before putting out any information. Anyone outdoors this morning would think I was off my rocker for talking about snow potential. Skies are sunny, temperatures are in the mid and upper 50s, winds are generally west and southwest and relatively light for the moment. However, back to our west the latest observations show that the winds have backed around to the north and temperatures are within a few degrees of 40F. The cold front is on our doorstep and by later today will be east of Charlotte and probably Raleigh. The cold air will begin to settle in this afternoon and really take hold tonight. We should be around 40F by sunset and around 20F tomorrow morning. Tuesday will be a cloudy and cold day with high and mid level clouds streaming northward from developing Gulf of Mexico moisture along todays front, which, by Tuesday should be stationary along the Gulf Coast to the southeast Atlantic Coast. Really, the models are still trying to sort things out and they have a lot to consider, too. But, for us, the chances of seeing accumulating snowfall still havent improved. Our splash graphic above just about says it all. We may see a period or two of light snow after dark on Tuesday but by Wednesday morning, skies should clear, giving way to a partly sunny and chilly afternoon. One thing I hadnt mentioned or noticed yesterday was an area of northern stream energy that seems to take shape over NE Georgia and southwestern NC Tuesday morning. This energy may try to draw some moisture into our area from the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, hence, our marginal chances for light snow. If this energy turned out to be a little stronger, we could see some accumulating snowfall. However, it looks like this piece of energy is going to race across North Carolina overnight Tuesday and help to fire up low pressure near Hatteras early Wednesday morning; that low will then head out into the North Atlantic. Yesterday it looked like our best chances of seeing any snow would be early Wednesday morning, now, it looks like the low will take its precipitation with it out to sea after sunrise Wednesday and the only ones seeing any snow will be along the Carolina coasts. Charlotte may be the closest place to us for accumulating snowfall and even that is open for debate at this point. I think most of the snow will fall east of a Raleigh, Sanford, Rockingham, Columbia SC line and not too far east of there, it will mix with freezing rain and sleet. So, while this system promises to be a headache, particularly for coastal locations and travelers on I-95, it may not be the southern snow maker we thought it would yesterday. At any rate, the good news is that well begin to warm up Thursday and even though we now have the chances for precipitation this weekend, with temperatures back in the 50s or even approaching 60F, it should be all rain. And when the next front pushes through next Sunday or so, its not likely to bring any Arctic air with it. So, once here, normal or above-normal temperatures should stay with us for a while.
Posted on: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 16:43:11 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015