Snow Blind

Morgantown and surrounding areas managed to escape with only an inch or so of snow this weekend. Heavier snowfall amounts did indeed materialize further south. For tonight, skies remain clear with lows around 19. Although we'll contend with some winter weather, temperatures this week will begin to warm up a bit as a southwest flow brings in warmer air. Daytime highs thru the week will be in the upper 30s and may touch 40 by midweek. Monday will be dry & mostly sunny with a high of 36. Clouds increase Tuesday and there’s a slight chance of rain/snow mix after dark Tuesday. A weak front brings wintry mix but produces minimal accumulation, just enough to be bothersome getting to work Wednesday morning. Thursday expect dry conditions, partly cloudy skies and a high in the lower 40s. A stronger system will deliver more winter weather in time for the weekend. This will likely begin with a rain/snow mix Friday and change to all snow by Saturday. We’ll gradually begin to clear out again on Sunday. Will keep an eye on that system for next weekend and post updates through the week!

Weekend Snow

Our forecast tonight remains dry but breezy. Temperatures in the low teens along with strong winds will make it feel like single digits outside tonight and tomorrow morning. Friday look for mostly cloudy skies with a high around 26. That weather system currently trodding through Oklahoma will gradually begin to produce snow showers well after sunset Friday night/Saturday. The track of this storm which has been the topic of much discussion in the weather community will stay well to our south. Northern and western portions of West Virginia will escape with 1-3” of snow accumulation through Saturday. Heavier snowfall is expected in southeastern portions of the state. Southernmost portions of WV may see up to 8” through Saturday. Overnight lows through the weekend will remain in the low to mid teens with daytime temps cresting in the mid to upper 20s. Skies will begin to clear again Saturday evening. Sunday and Monday will be mostly sunny and dry with temps still hanging around the mid teens and 20s. Rain/snow mix on tap for Tuesday as we finally begin to warm up a bit.

Go On And Brush Your Shoulders Off

Wednesday we’ll get a chance to brush our shoulders off as high pressure sweeps any remaining moisture out of the vicinity. We’ll stay dry Wednesday with temperatures reaching the mid 30s. Thursday though, a quick blast of arctic air will provide a good chance of snow flurries with accumulation of less than an inch. Temperatures will drop quickly Thursday and with a strong breeze it could easily feel like single digits out there Thursday night/Friday morning. A strong low pressure system moves in from the west on Friday. With it we can expect a band of strong snowfall from Oklahoma to the Outer Banks. With newer models beginning to show some consistency regarding track of the storm Friday and Saturday, we can expect everything north of Elkins to be spared the worst of the snowfall. The northern half of the state will see 2-4 inches of snow beginning Friday. Southern portions of West Virginia could see 6-8 inches. Snow will finally begin to exit sometime before midnight Saturday night. However, cold Canadian air will have already set up shop. Sunday and Monday remain dry with temps lingering in the teens and low 20s until Monday afternoon.

You Ain't Seen Nothin Yet

Morgantown’s forecast for the remainder of today includes minimal additional snowfall accumulation. Although higher elevations can expect to see another two inches of snowfall until Wednesday morning. Temperatures tonight will dip down to the mid 20s and will hold in the mid 30s all day Wednesday. Thursday, wet weather picks up again with a slight chance of rain/snow mix. The real snow will begin to fall before noon on Friday. The track of this storm is still quite uncertain, but we will not get through the weekend unscathed. Although the worst of it could pass south of us, model guidance shows that this storm could spit out a band of serious snowfall with up to 20 inches of accumulation (in some places) from northern Texas to Washington, D.C. before Sunday. Details will become clearer with time. For now Morgantown and surrounding lowlands can expect 14 inches of snow to fall by midnight on Saturday. Higher elevations and east-facing slopes could see as much as 20 inches. Furthermore, temps for the weekend will plunge into the low teens as a trough of cold Canadian air descends far into the southeastern US. Although still bitter cold, Sunday and Monday will remain dry as high pressure builds back into the area. Watch for more precise weekend weather updates in the next few days!

(Illustration shows snowfall thru 23:00 hrs Saturday)

A Week Of Weather

A flood watch remains in effect for several counties including Monongalia, Preston & Tucker in West Virginia through Monday evening. Up to two inches of rain are expected to fall by Tuesday, although we can still expect a break in the action sometime Monday. After the well-deserved pause, expect rain to change over to snow by Monday night. Temps remain steady in lower 40s and mid 30s until Monday night, when they’ll get down to the mid 30s and upper 20s. A slight chance of snow continues from Tuesday morning through early Wednesday morning with light accumulation (1.5”) in the lowlands and 4-6” in higher elevations. Snow will fade away by Wednesday morning as high pressure builds over the area. A rain/snow mix is on tap for Thursday as the trough of Canadian air continues to battle with the west-southwest flow. However, cold air will prevail and we’ll see all snow once again Friday. Saturday and Sunday will be dry but well below freezing with lows in the teens as that Canadian air carves a deep gash into the southeastern US.

Another Soggy Sunday

We topped out today at 52 degrees in Morgantown! Tonight will be dry but breezy after midnight with temps hanging out in the upper 30s. A strong low pressure system from the southwest brings rain showers and the odd thunderclap to the area on Sunday. Look for daytime highs in the lower 50s Sunday. We’ll definitely get a needed break in the rain for most of the day Monday. However, Monday night we’ll begin to see snow in the mountains with snow becoming likely statewide by Tuesday morning. This will produce an inch or two here and 4-6 inches in higher elevations. A few details regarding the rest of next week’s forecast still need ironed out, but it goes something like this…Wednesday looks dry with temps reaching the upper 30s. Thursday mid 30s with 30% chance of seeing a wintry mix. Friday: colder with snow. Dry but cold with high pressure building Saturday and Sunday.

Weekend Weather

Friday’s weather system is already headed towards the Atlantic coast and has begun to fizzle out. Rain and freezing rain will finish up by mid morning Friday. Temperatures Friday will once again top out in the mid 40's with lows Friday night around 30. Saturday will be sunny and sweet, topping out around 50 degrees. The next weather system, arriving Sunday will bring rain and will depart sometime on Monday. A blast of colder Canadian air Tuesday will remind us that it is indeed still winter. We can expect this system to trend temps downward by only ten degrees or so. It will however, squeeze out an inch or two of snow onto the Morgantown area. Watch for updates this weekend!

Expect Delays

Rain showers likely Thursday, turning to freezing rain or a wintry mix Thursday evening. Overnight lows will hover just around freezing Thursday night. Friday morning folks east of I-79 will contend with a bit of wintry precipitation. This will likely be in the form of freezing rain or sleet. Higher elevations could see up to a quarter inch of freezing rain by Friday morning followed by light snow accumulation throughout the day on Friday. A WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN WV…HAMPSHIRE, MORGAN, BERKELEY, JEFFERSON, HARDY, GRANT, MINERAL, RALEIGH, FAYETTE, NICHOLAS, WEBSTER, POCAHONTAS & RANDOLPH. Folks commuting on Friday may want to consider allowing extra time to allow for delays. Saturday will offer a chance to dry out with temps reaching the upper 40’s. Rain returns to the forecast for Sunday and Monday. Turning colder Tuesday…

Rain. Leaves, But Then Comes Back

Persistent fog and low clouds prevail Wednesday. Daytime temperatures continue to top out in the 40’s for the next few days as low pressure from the southwest gives rise to chance rain showers. Showers are likely for much of the southwestern half of the state Wednesday. All of West Virginia will see periods of rain Thursday. The mountain counties (Pocahontas, Randolph, Tucker…) will also deal with potential freezing rain Thursday night and Friday morning. It looks as though not enough cold Canadian air will mix in on Friday for snow or freezing rain to be a real problem for Morgantown and lowlands of WV. We will indeed begin to dry out on Saturday, just in time for strong possibility of rain Sunday and Monday. Again, daytime highs will hold steady in the low to mid 40’s until Monday or Tuesday when daytime highs could dip into the 30’s.

High Waters

Watch for decreasing likelihood of rain as the current low pressure system begins to move toward the Atlantic coast this evening. Any lingering moisture will turn to fog and light & patchy drizzle by early morning Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Flood watches also remain in effect until Monday morning for a large portion of West Virginia as current rainfall amounts are intensified by snow and ice melt. High pressure and mild temperatures build back into the mountain state by Monday afternoon, setting the stage for weak low pressure and minimal chances rain showers later Tuesday and Wednesday. Look for increasing clouds Thursday with precipitation likely Thursday night and Friday. Current models have some difficulty agreeing on the timing and type of precip for this time period. For now we’ll call it rain with perhaps a very wet snow mixing in for Thursday night and Friday. We should start drying out by the weekend next week.

Wild Wonderful & Wet Weekend

High pressure and above average temperatures made most of this week’s weather bearable especially compared to the steady snowfall we’ve had thus far in 2010. However a good deal of that snow still remains on the ground as we get set to start the weekend. Saturday’s forecast remains mild with temps reaching the mid 40’s. Chance of rain returns Saturday night and Sunday morning as some wet weather moves our way from the south. This system could potentially drop up to half an inch of rain onto our area before noon on Sunday. So with existing snow melting with that rainfall, folks will want to watch water levels in and around creek beds especially in the southeastern portions of West Virginia. Watch for potential advisories to be posted later this weekend. Next week also looks mild with high pressure building back into our area and slightly above average temps. The chance of precipitation returns for Thursday. Stay tuned!

Taste of Spring

We’ll get a taste of Spring Thursday as high pressure remains in control. This fact along with heat from a mild afternoon will be enough to make wearing pants an option, not a necessity. Temperatures will top out at 45 but will drop rapidly with sunset. Low’s in the upper 20’s will make Friday morning brisk but bearable as we will once again see temps stretching towards the mid 40’s Friday. A slight chance of rain/freezing rain remains Friday evening from a weak & moisture starved system from the north. This system, barely worth mentioning may simply bring a few passing clouds our way Friday afternoon and evening. This sets the stage for a pleasant Saturday with temps once again reaching the mid 40’s! A respectable low pressure system moving across the SE portion of the U.S may bring rain to the area Sunday. This has the potential to produce a half an inch to three quarters of an inch of rain by 7 AM Monday. Then a dry couple of days for the beginning of next week.

High Pressure Builds

High pressure begins to scour out a nice swath of dry air over our area today through Thursday. Temperatures creep slowly into the mid 30’s today. Clearing skies overnight with a low of 22. Thursday, mostly sunny with a high of 45. Temps Friday will once again reach the low to mid 40’s. Slight chance of rain or even freezing rain Friday. This will be a very weak system and will not produce much percipitaion at all. Saturday, partly cloudy with highs in the lower 40’s. Slight chance of precipitation in the form of rain or perhaps freezing rain Sunday and Monday especially in the SE portion of WV. More later!

The End Is Nigh

Snow flurries will persist throughout the day today as that northwest flow brings an inch or two of lake effect snow to Morgantown and surrounding areas. Snow will continue to fall in the mountain counties through tonight and early Wednesday. Here in Morgantown, we will begin to see snow showers tapering off in the evening hours around sundown. High pressure will settle in for the next several days. This brings some welcome sunshine and warmer temperatures to our area for the rest of the work week! Daytime temps will begin to inch up into the 40’s by Thursday and will continue a steady warming trend through the weekend. Despite this fact, decreasing cloud cover will keep nighttime temps in low 30’s and upper 20’s during this time period. Still a good deal of uncertainty remains with regards to the weekend forecast, for now we will keep variable clouds and a dry forecast in for your weekend weather.


Snowshoe Mountain Lodge

More Snow Coming

Snow flurries will return to our area late this evening as a brief shot of Canadian air blows in from the northwest. This will only produce about an inch of snow in the lowlands, while folks in higher elevations may see 3-4 inches by Tuesday. Temperatures will remain in the mid 20’s and upper teens with snow ending late Tuesday. This sets up a drying trend for the next several days as high pressure and upper level ridging begins to take hold by Thursday. Look for dry weather and temps rocketing into the low to mid 40’s for Thursday and Friday. There is a slight chance of precipitation, perhaps in the form of rain/freezing rain for the weekend forecast. More information as the week unfolds!

Light At The End Of The Tunnel

A few light snow flurries in those mountain counties are all that remain today. We have a dry forecast on tap for the next 24 hours or so. Expect to see brief sunshine as high pressure moves into the area to finish out the weekend. Bitter cold temperatures remain in store thru tonight and Monday morning. Expect scattered snow showers beginning late Monday and Tuesday morning. Snow flurries will produce an inch or two mostly in those mountain counties for much of the day on Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday we will be allowed temperatures above freezing accompanied by high pressure, making for a dry forecast. Chance of precipitation returns again on Friday with what looks like rain. Models are still struggling with nailing that weekend forecast. More tomorrow!

Arctic Air

Measured 7" of snow from my back porch around 1PM with new snow falling. Expecting 2-4 more inches to fall especially in the mountain counties as temperatures may reach single digits overnight tonight. High pressure will finally provide some relief on Sunday. Although we will begin to see a period of relatively dry & calm weather, temps will remain in upper teens and low 20's until Wednesday afternoon. Northwest flow will bring another round of snow to the area early Tuesday. This brief shot of Canadian air will be short-lived and we will begin a trend of what you might call pleasant above freezing temperatures for Wednesday and Thursday. Chance of precipitation returns once again on Friday of next week.