WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY: Pocahontas county from 5:00 AM until 9:00 AM on Sunday morning.

We will have a weather system building in from the west and impacting our forecast Sunday morning through the afternoon. In the early morning hours, most of us will still be warm enough to where we will only see rain showers. But the highest elevations through Pocahontas county, including Snowshoe, will see chances in the morning of freezing rain. Thankfully, these instances will be brief as we transition to all rain by the afternoon. Road temperatures will be warm enough to keep away any ice for most, with a few secondary roads near the ridgelines staying cold enough to see brief black ice in the morning. Overall, this storm is expected to drop a quarter to half an inch of rain which will make Sunday travel slick and wet. It will also be a windy day with wind gusts between 15 to 25 mph. Make sure to plan for ponding and steady rain showers at times.

Sunday brings back the rain showers in the morning with steady showers at times. Temperatures will be warm enough to ensure just rain as our type of precipitation throughout much of the area. Snowshoe and the highest elevations will see some freezing rain early in the morning but only briefly. As we warm back into the 40s by the afternoon, rain will be the only concern at that point.

Monday we start off in the mid to upper 30s for most and gradually get back into the 40s by the afternoon. Isolated showers will be possible for most but instances of a wintery mix near the ridgelines cannot be rules out. Lows will dip into the 20s as we see our next system come in through Tuesday morning.

Tuesday morning will be a frosty start with light snow flurries for the mountains possible as lingering moisture gets hung up in the mountains. No accumulations expected except for the highest of terrain who may see a grassy coating early on. Our weather from Tuesday moving onward will be dependent on the exact position of a stationary front that will more than likely lie just south of our region. Highs will be in the low 30s. As a general rule of thumb for Tuesday through Thursday: the farther south this stationary front slides, the drier our weather will be, whereas the farther north it slides, the better our chances for precipitation. Tuesday currently looks to hold us to a few snow showers but quickly clearing out by the evening.

Wednesday we catch a break from the activity for the first half of the day. Temperatures will likely be below freezing in the morning so some patchy black ice early is possible. Yet another wave along our stationary front looks likely at this point for Wednesday afternoon, which will likely bring showers back into the picture Wednesday evening into the overnight hours. Highs will warm a bit as we get into the mid 40s.

Thursday looks to be a messy day with high importance on storm track. We’ll be watching this one closely with changes expected but overall, a wintery mess of rain, freezing rain, sleet, and snow are likely across the region for mountains tops to lowlands, with a new area of low pressure developing. As cold air wraps behind this system, we very well could see rain showers switch over to snow even in the lowlands. Again, we’ll be keeping a close eye on this one over the weekend. High temperatures will be around 40.

Friday brings a few lingering flurries around in the morning behind our low-pressure system but we’re optimistic for some sunshine by the afternoon. We will remain in the upper 30s as the afternoon looks to be a lot more drier.

Saturday is gearing up to be a great start to the weekend. We will enjoy some more sunshine by the afternoon as we get back into the low 40s for afternoon highs. We will start to see clouds build into the night as yet another weather system builds for Sunday.

In your extended forecast, temperatures look to moderate a bit beyond next Friday back to near or above normal levels for the middle part of February. However, the overall pattern looks to likely bring colder weather back into the region shortly beyond that timeframe. If the right combination of moisture and cold air meet over the right area, we’re not out of the woods regarding a snow risk.

SUNDAY
Showers steady at times, especially through the early afternoon. Highs in the middle 40s.
MONDAY
Few showers but plenty of breaks. Highs in the middle 40s.
TUESDAY
Few snow showers possible. Cooler. Highs in the low 30s.
WEDNESDAY
Mostly dry early despite plenty of clouds. Rain late. Highs in the mid 40s.
THURSDAY
Wintery mess of a day looks possible! Highs near 40.
FRIDAY
Snow showers to start, clearing in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 30s.
SATURDAY
Sunshine returns, clouds build later in the evening. Highs in the 40s.
SUNDAY
Mix showers possible. Highs in the 30s.
MONDAY
Few showers possible. Highs in the 30s.
TUESDAY
Partly cloudy skies. Highs in the 30s.