Oak Hill, WV (WOAY) – Although delayed, the first snowfall of the month is underway in southern West Virginia. A northwest flow on the western flank of departing low pressure will produce occasional snow showers through midday Saturday.
As temperatures drop below freezing, secondary roads will become slippery tonight. Main thoroughfares such as Route 19 could become icy in the higher elevations. The areas that did not see much snowfall today will see accumulation tonight since temperatures are dropping below freezing. Below is the StormWatch4 snowfall forecast through the remainder of the event.
Icy patches on secondary roads will likely see improvement between 3-5 p.m. Saturday thanks to a few sunny breaks in the overcast sky to help accelerate the melting process. Shaded and north-facing spots will stay slippery since temperatures will remain below freezing. Bundle up in layers with a northwest wind at 10 mph, reducing wind chills to the middle teens for most of the day.
The moisture on many of the roads will not get a chance to dry out Saturday afternoon. A clear sky, light wind and air temperatures dropping into the middle teens will allow wet roads through neighborhood streets and even a few on and off ramps along I-64 and Route 19 to become slippery by daybreak on Sunday. Motorists are advised to watch out for black ice for early Sunday travels. Fortunately, a full sunny day and highs in the upper 30s on Sunday afternoon will allow the roads to dry out and a good bit of the snow to melt, except shaded and north-facing spots.
Check out our viewer-submitted photos via our Facebook page here and thanks to everyone for their reports thus far:
This is the biggest snowfall since the Arctic front on Christmas Eve brought accumulating snowfall. The entire region remains well behind average for snowfall. This is also the sixteenth driest stretch of weather for the period of November 1 to January 12 for Beckley. Only 5.84 inches of mostly rain has accumulated since November 1. Bluefield has seen considerably more rainfall, with 8.39 inches. Fortunately, none of the region is in a drought.
Stay with your StormWatch 4 team for the latest forecasts and have a safe weekend!
