Meteorologist Kristy Steward's First Warning Forecast
Good Wednesday night! Tonight stays mild with lows in the low to mid 40s. We’ll stay dry tonight as clouds increase ahead of this approaching cold front.
Thursday is our first punch. An arctic cold front passes through midday Thursday. With this, winds will pick up, gusting to 30 MPH and changing from the southwest to the north. Temperatures will gradually drop throughout the entire day, bottoming out in the mid 20s Thursday night. Around the front, rain will turn to a mix to snow. We could see up to 2” of snow, likely seeing around 1” accumulating. Prepare for a slick Thursday evening commute. Anything wet on the ground will freeze over Thursday night, making it slick for your Friday morning commute too.
Our second punch is Friday into Saturday morning. This is the big round of snow. We will be sandwiched between a Canadian high pressure system just to our north and a developing low pressure system just offshore. That will bring us stronger winds, cold air and lots of moisture -- perfect for lots of snow. We are the bullseye for this event. Models are still uncertain with exactly how much we will see, but prepare for at least another 4” and up to 14”.
With that much snow, everyone is under a Winter Storm Watch from 1 AM Friday – 10 AM Saturday. North-northeasterly winds will also gust up to 35 MPH. Those strong winds will bring a rough surf. 7-9’ breaking waves. Tidal flooding is also possible and something we’ll need to watch.
Snow clears out Saturday morning. By the end of this event, expect 5-10” snow. Our northeast North Carolina communities can also expect up to 0.25” of ice accumulation. Again, these numbers could and will likely change over the next few days. Stay tuned for the latest!
Aside from the snow, we will be windy Thursday-Saturday and temperatures will be cold. Highs in the low 30s, feeling like the teens. Overnight lows in the mid to upper 20s.
We warm up above freezing Sunday. Highs in the upper 30s with some sunshine. Almost repeat weather Monday, just with even more sunshine.
Tuesday will be the best day for significant melting. A warm front moves over Hampton Roads, helping temperatures reach the low to mid 40s with a good amount of sunshine. However, that melting will likely turn into black ice Tuesday night into Wednesday morning with lows around 30°. Following a cold front, next Wednesday stays mostly dry, but high temperatures return to the mid 30s.
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