OAK HILL, WV (WOAY) – We’re seeing plenty of clouds this evening around the area. Earlier in the day, there were some showers around as well (Beckley picked up 0.01″ of rain this afternoon, while Bluefield has picked up 0.18″ of rain today), but the showers are done for now. While wet roads will be a travel concern for us as we go through the overnight, the real concern will be fog and possible freezing fog. In the image below, fog is evident in the higher elevations and in Raleigh County, but other areas will likely see fog as well.
Fog is possible because we have plenty of low-level moisture thanks to the showers that fell, a southwesterly flow that brings in moist air from the Gulf, and in some areas a snowpack. A good number of areas will see fog tonight and tomorrow morning, but areas that fall to or below the freezing mark will see freezing fog. This will definitely make untreated roads hazardous. Lows will be right around the freezing mark everywhere. The fog/freezing fog should be gone by mid-morning tomorrow as temperatures will warm up nicely after sunrise.
Once the fog and clouds lift, tomorrow should be a very nice day around southern West Virginia. There will be plenty of sunshine, and highs will be in the mid-50s. Drier weather and a bit of a breeze tomorrow night mean that fog is not in the forecast, but temperatures are in similar territory to where they’ll be tonight, generally in the mid-30s.
The weekend ahead will be good for the most part, especially on Saturday. The high on that day will be right around the 60-degree mark. And there will be copious amounts of sunshine. Saturday night looks good as well, but changes in the weather are coming starting on Sunday. A front will swing through the region, and while it has very little moisture to work with, it will cool our temperatures down. Highs on Sunday will be in the mid to upper 40s. That sets the stage for some possible hazardous weather early next week.
As we start next week, another storm pushes towards the region. Warmer-than-freezing air could make its way into the region just above the surface, while the colder-than-freezing air will stay locked into place. This “warm nose” will be thick enough to melt the snow that falls through it, and the sub-freezing layer of air will not be thick enough to re-freeze the melted snow. The result? Freezing rain.
The main forecast question today is the location of the transition zone between the rain, wintry mix, and snow. There is once again major disagreement between the two major atmospheric models, with the typically more aggressive American GFS showing some freezing rain, especially in Virginia, but also stretching into the Greenbrier Valley.
The European model, meanwhile, keeps all of the precipitation as rain or a rain/snow mix.
For now, the best chance for freezing rain will be late Monday night and early Tuesday morning. The pattern for the rest of the week remains active, but it will be mild. Highs will be in the lower 60s by the end of the forecast.
