The year 2014 is shaping up to be a busy one in the weather department. Happy New Year everybody! I am excited to bring to you our second year of Weather Beat. As we begin 2014, we are tracking a system that is dropping heavy snow throughout parts of the Midwest, and now it is heading east towards our region.
I am not expecting a major snowstorm out of this, however, as much as an inch or two is still possible, and as you all know, that is still enough to cause difficult travel and school closures throughout Northern Virginia.
If you plan to head south of our area, you will encounter just rain with little to no snow accumulation. Places like Fredericksburg will see very little snow, if any. If you are heading north into Maryland and beyond, that is where the storm will be much more potent. As much as 3 inches are possible in Baltimore with as much as 6 inches possible in Philadelphia. Over a foot of snow is expected in the Boston area.
In terms of timing, I am expecting rain to develop during the afternoon hours, then as we approach the evening hours, all precipitation will turn to snow, and it will remain snow all night, before moving out of here just after sunrise. With the majority of the snow falling overnight, it will allow snow to accumulate quickly, due to the absence of heating from the sun.
After the snow moves out Friday morning, cold air will sink in and I am expecting a frigid night with temperatures dipping to as low as the single digits by Saturday morning, something this area has not seen in over a year. Some places could see actual air temperatures (not wind chills) near 5 degrees Saturday morning.
Stay safe and bundle up this weekend.
“My favorite thing to do is study the weather. It is truly fascinating. Nothing beats a good thunderstorm. I became very interested in weather when I lived in Okinawa, Japan for four years and was actually inside a super typhoon.”
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