A little sun, plenty of clouds and a lot of cold in the week ahead

It is a day without precipitation for southern West Virginia, a nice break from the rain, freezing rain, and snow that we’ve seen since Sunday. Skies are not totally clear, but are clear enough that temperatures tonight will take a nosedive into the upper teens and lower 20s.

There is a small possibility of snow in the northern areas of Nicholas and Pocahontas Counties as a weak front passes through.

Tomorrow, the chance for snow continues in the same northern areas, with little snow expected elsewhere. Highs will be cold once again, generally in the mid-30s under mostly cloudy skies. The next chance for snow will begin late tomorrow night as another storm system comes into the region from the southwest. The snow will slow down the Friday morning commute a bit, but the extra cloud cover won’t do much to help make the temperatures warmer, as we’ll still be in the lower 20s.

Friday, the storm will make its way towards the area. There are some major differences among the atmospheric models regarding where the heavy snow will set up and how much will accumulate, but there does seem to be some general agreement that the heaviest snow will be in the southern coalfields and into the Greenbrier Valley. There we could see 1-3″ of snow, with lesser totals in other parts of the area. In addition to the snow, temperatures that top out above freezing will change the snow over to rain in many areas, cutting down accumulations and making the day a messy one for the people headed to Charleston for the high school football championship games. Highs will be in the mid-30s, and lows Friday night will drop into the upper 20s.

The weekend ahead will again feature a stew of weather, with the dominant ingredient being cold temperatures. Saturday starts with snow and freezing rain from Friday’s storm.

That ends during the morning, and the skies will be mostly cloudy. Sunday will be the first time in a while that the high will reach the 40-degree mark. While that isn’t quite normal, it will feel positively balmy compared to where it has been. Sunday, we’ll also get a break from the rain and snow. The end of the forecast looks the same, as the weather pattern will continue to be active.