Updates on the next storm

OAK HILL, WV (WOAY) – We are continuing to track a winter storm which will bring rain and snow to the area tomorrow and Thursday.

Tomorrow will be a day of change around the area as we pick up precipitation with the front. With temperatures topping out in the lower 40s, what we see will start as rain.

Then, as temperatures cool behind the front, the rain will change over to snow. The questions with this part of the extended forecast involve the time of the changeover. If it is earlier, the snow totals with this storm will be heavier than expected; if it is later, the snow totals will be less. Here, the Futurecast has the precipitation as all snow by 8:00 p.m. I think this is a little early, but if this does verify, the snow totals would be a little higher.

The other determining factor will be the heaviness of the snow bands that set up after the winds shift to the northwest.

There is certainly plenty of moisture for this storm to work with and plenty of cold air behind the front, so the chance for accumulating snow is very high all around the area. For now, we’re going with 3-5+” in the high elevation areas in Pocahontas, Greenbrier, and Nicholas counties; 1-3″ in areas along and northwest of the spine of the Appalachians, and lesser amounts in the Greenbrier Valley. This is in line with what we were expecting yesterday with this storm. The only difference is that with some heavier snow squalls possible in the northernmost areas, I’ve added a “plus” sign to the graphic below for the 3-5″ area as snow totals in some isolated areas could be higher.

Once the storm is gone, more snow chances are in the forecast for the weekend as another system pushes through, part of an overall active pattern that will feature multiple chances for snow. With temperatures staying cold with these same systems bringing reinforcing shots of cold air into the region, the snow that falls will be of the fluffy variety, and there could be some light accumulation with each passing system.