Warm now, but big changes are on the way

OAK HILL, WV (WOAY) – It was another very nice day around the region, with the same blue skies that we saw on Monday. But today, with a southwesterly flow, temperatures were between 5 and 15 degrees warmer than they were yesterday.

It’s the usual warm-up before a pair of fronts swing through later this week. Just like today’s highs, tonight’s lows will be in the upper 50s to nearly 60 degrees. Quite mild when you consider the normal low in Beckley for tomorrow’s date is 45 degrees. There could be patchy fog to deal with in some areas as well. Otherwise, skies will be clear.

Tomorrow will start very nicely, but as the day goes on, the skies will begin to cloud up. It should still be a good day for any outdoor plans, but it won’t be wall-to-wall sunshine like it was today.

Highs will be in the upper 70s again, in similar territory to where they were at today. As the night goes on, the first of the two fronts that we have been tracking finally comes into the region, bringing some showers and a possible rumble of thunder with it.

The Storm Prediction Center believes that some of the storms could be strong. While the chance for that is small, it is not zero.

The chance for rain is not that high either, but it will slow us down a bit as we head out on Thursday. Lows will be in the lower 60s, once again held up by the cloud cover.

The first front truly arrives on Thursday. Once it gets here, the chances for rain will go up to around 60%. Rain totals with the front will be around 1-2″ for the northern areas, with less in the southern areas. According to the Weather Prediction Center, there is a 5-15% chance that we’ll see enough rain to cause flash flooding in the northern and eastern parts of the area.

The current thinking for us is that the totals will not be all that high, and it’s been dry enough to keep flooding to a minimum, but similar to the chances for severe weather Wednesday night and Thursday morning, we’ll be tracking that as well. The first front hangs around and continues to produce chances for rain.

On Friday, a secondary front comes through the region. What the secondary front lacks in moisture, it more than makes up in cold air; it’s the coldest air that we have seen so far this season, coming straight out of the Canadian Arctic thanks to a very strong dome of high pressure that will settle in over the Plains. As the front rolls through, temperatures will plummet Friday afternoon. Any precipitation that is left by Friday night could change to a mix of rain and snow or all snow. That will mainly be true in Pocahontas County as well as the higher elevation areas of Greenbrier County.

By Saturday morning, lows will be in the upper 30s in most areas and will likely be below freezing in high-elevation areas. Saturday is Bridge Day, of course, so layers will be needed for those heading out to the festivities.

Temperatures stay cold all weekend, although Sunday afternoon will be warmer than Saturday. By the end of the forecast, temperatures are back to near normal. As for precipitation, expect dry weather after the late-week front.