Although the storm system heading across the U.S. will be limited in moisture, it will foster a coating of ice.
SUNDAY: Light to very light freezing rain will begin 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. everywhere but change to rain by midday as surface temperatures warm above freezing along Route 19 and I-77. A light glaze is expected on most surfaces in the morning along Route 19 and I-77 before changing to rain at midday. Meanwhile, freezing rain will continue through Sunday into early Monday in the Greenbrier Valley.
Research shows light intensity freezing rain is more efficient at ice accrual, so all metal surfaces (car windshield, doors, handles, railings), untreated driveways, parking lots and walkways will be slippery. Additionally, sheltered roadways, bridges and overpasses will likely be icy as well.
Two great pieces of advice to follow this weekend: If your side mirror icicles don’t melt as you are driving and/or the car in front of you is not spewing water onto your windshield, you are likely driving on an icy roadway.
We expect about one-tenth of an inch of ice to accumulate on trees and powerlines and 0.25″ to accumulate on flat surfaces like picnic tables and driveways from Sunday morning to daybreak on Monday. We expect either a Winter Weather Advisory or Ice Storm Warning to be issued for Greenbrier, eastern Pocahontas, Summers, Mercer, Monroe and Tazewell county for Sunday into early Monday. Schools in the valley will likely be impacted on Monday.
Fog will limit visibility to less than 0.25 miles in the ridges around Lewisburg, Union and White Sulphur Springs on Sunday night into Monday morning. The wind will remain light to calm through Monday as temperatures warm above freezing. We only expect a few small limbs to come down and very few power outages to result in the Greenbrier Valley thanks to the limited ice on the trees and lack of strong wind in the storm’s wake.
The culprit for the widespread Appalachian ice storm is a very strong high pressure that will become anchored across New England. This high pressure will supply the low-level cold air that will drain down the Appalachian spine east of the Allegheny Plateau as a low pressure careens in from the Ohio Valley with moisture.
If you plan to travel late this weekend, keep in mind ice is likely in the blue areas of this map.
