Meteorologist Myles Henderson’s First Warning Forecast
***Blizzard Warning for Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Hampton, Poquoson, Mathews, Northampton, Accomack, Currituck, Camden, Pasquotank until 1 PM.
***Winter Storm Warning is in effect for Suffolk, Isle of Wight, Franklin, Southampton, Surry, Sussex, Newport News, York, James City, Williamsburg, Gloucester, Middlesex, Dare, Perquimans, Chowan, Gates, Hertford, Northampton, Bertie until 1 PM.
***High Wind Warning is in effect until 9 AM for the Outer Banks of Dare County. Expect northwest winds at 35 to 45 mph and gust up to 60 mph.
Snow and very strong winds… Widespread snow will continue to fall this morning for all of Hampton Roads and most of NE NC. The rain and sleet on the Outer Banks will continue to transition to snow early this morning. Snow will taper off from west to east by midday, closer to 10 AM inland and closer to 1 PM along the coast. Most of the area will see 8” to 10” of snow accumulation, with some spots possibly reaching a foot of snow. We will see lower snow totals near I-95 and lower totals closer to the Outer Banks (where more rain has been mixing in).
We will see very windy and gusty conditions today, especially this morning. Expect NW winds at 25 to 35 mph and gusts to near 50 mph this morning. Wind gusts could reach 60 mph on the Outer Banks. The strong winds will create issues of snow drifts, blowing snow, and reduced visibility.
Highs will struggle to reach above the freezing point with a quick clearing this afternoon. Lows will fall into the mid teens tonight under clear skies. Winds will still be strong tonight so wind chill values will drop below zero by Friday morning.
Highs will only reach the mid to upper 20s on Friday with mostly sunny skies. It will still be windy tomorrow but not as strong as today. Expect NW winds at 10 to 20 mph with gusts to 30 mph. Afternoon winds chill values will only reach the low teens.
Today: AM Snow (90%), PM Clearing, Windy. Highs in the mid 30s. Winds: NW 20-30G40+
Tonight: Clear Skies, Cold, Windy. Lows in the mid teens. Winds: NW 15-25G35
Tomorrow: Mostly Sunny, Cold, Windy. Highs in the upper 20s. Winds: NW 10-20G30
Today in Weather History (NWS Wakefield)
January 4th
1980 Winter Storm: 14.9″ snow – Richmond
For weather updates on Facebook: MylesHendersonWTKR
Follow me on Twitter: @MHendersonWTKR
Follow me on Instagram: @MylesHendersonWTKR
Check out the Interactive Radar on WTKR.com: Interactive Radar
Click here to sign up for email alerts from the First Warning Storm Team.
