UPDATE: Winter storm continues to affect the region

As of 10 p.m., the rain had changed over to snow at our Oak Hill studios, and a heavy band of snow is now affecting Beckley.

Temperatures are still in the upper 20s and lower 30s.

With the rain changing over, we can begin to estimate how much snow we think will fall around the area. We’re still going with 3-5″ along the Route 19 corridor in Raleigh, Fayette, and Nicholas Counties. Even higher totals are in the forecast for western Greenbrier and western Pocahontas Counties. There, 5-8″ of snow is expected, and there will be plenty of wind.

The combination mentioned above means that a Blizzard Warning is in effect through 10 a.m. tomorrow for those areas. Winter Weather Advisories remain in effect with the same expiration times as the Blizzard Warning for all the counties listed above, plus Summers, Mercer, Wyoming, and Tazewell Counties.

Temperature-wise, most areas are near or even a bit above freezing, making the snow heavy and wet. While that will make it tough to push around, it also means that treated roads will mainly be wet, not snow-covered. Secondary and untreated roads will be slushy and snow-covered. As the temperatures fall, the snow will become more powdery and will drift a bit in areas that see strong wind gusts. With the strong northwesterly flow, some upsloping along the spine of the Appalachians – just east of Route 19 – could enhance the snow totals a bit. It will also cause some banding of the snow showers, meaning that the snow won’t be falling constantly, but when it does, it will be heavy. This was in the forecast and accounts for the slightly higher totals there.

The snow should taper off by tomorrow morning, and we’ll see a temporary break by the afternoon.

Join us at 11 and tune in to WOAY NewsWatch Morning Edition with Meteorologist Christian Boteler for all the latest information on this latest winter storm.