WOAY-TV (Oak Hill, WV): Following a week of needed Vitamin D, warmer temperatures and dry weather, Friday marks the start of our next pattern change.
FUN TEMPERATURE FACT: For a period of a few weeks after Daylight Saving Time resumes, the warmest part of the day with sunshine and high pressure is also an hour later (between 4:20-5:10 p.m.).
TEMPERATURES/FROST/POLLEN: The Greenbrier Valley can expect a hard frost both Tuesday and Wednesday morning before daybreak. Temperatures along Route 19 and the higher elevations will be above freezing those mornings. The pollen count will soar Wednesday and Thursday afternoon as temperatures warm to the upper 60s to middle 70s. Even Friday will bring high pollen until early to mid afternoon when the next front triggers rain.
RAIN/THUNDER: Friday afternoon to early Saturday and then late Sunday afternoon will bring rain. Flooding is not expected, but like last weekend’s rain, standing water will accumulate in poor drainage spots. Rain will mix with snow above 3,000 feet on Monday as another cold blast arrives.
SPRING EQUINOX OUTLOOK: Next Tuesday, March 19th at 11:06 p.m. ET is the first day of spring but will be the coldest day of the next 8 days with highs in the 40s below 2,000 feet and 20s and 30s above 2,000 feet with snow showers expected in the ridges.
BEYOND MARCH 19: A strongly negative East Pacific Oscillation in conjunction with Phase 8 of the Madden-Julian Oscillation will keep temperatures below-average through March 23-25. At some point between March 19 and 25 will be a light snowfall (fewer than 3″ of accumulation) even for our lowest elevations. We are not expecting any significant snowstorm that would trigger travel and infrastructure problems for the remainder of the season. This cold spell will be followed by a return to warmer than average temperatures to close out the month.
Chief Meteorologist Chad Merrill has the latest forecast: