DELMARVA FORECAST
Tuesday night: Partly cloudy. Mild. Lows in the mid to upper 30s.
Wednesday: Increasing clouds. Mild. Winds from the southwest at 10 mph. Highs in the mid 50s.
Thursday: Mostly cloudy with morning rain showers that could briefly change over to snow by sunrise. Highs steady in the mid 30s. Winds from the northwest at 15 to 20 mph, gusting to 30 mph at times. Chance of precipitation 50 percent.
Friday: Mostly sunny, cold, and breezy. Highs in the mid 30s.
Saturday: Partly cloudy, seasonable, and breezy. Highs in the mid 40s.
Sunday: Chance of a rain/snow mix. Cold. Highs in the mid 30s. Chance of precipitation 30 percent.
Monday: Mostly sunny, cold, and breezy. Highs in the mid 30s.
FORECAST DISCUSSION
Normal high: 45°F. Normal low: 28°F.
We have enjoyed a sunny and mild Tuesday on Delmarva.
With an increasingly southwesterly flow, on Wednesday we'll see mostly sunny skies early become mainly cloudy by afternoon. However, despite the cloudiness, it will be an unseasonably mild day with afternoon highs climbing into the mid 50s.
We're going to watch an area of low pressure pass to our north Wednesday night, which will swing a cold front across Delmarva. A secondary low will likely develop along the frontal boundary as it slides off the Carolina coast. This is not a setup for significant winter weather on Delmarva. We're expecting some plain rain showers early Thursday morning that could briefly change over to snow before moving off the coast. Guidance is suggesting that cold, sub-freezing air will drag rather far behind the rain showers, so any snow showers should be brief, but intense. Snow accumulations should be limited to just a coating, but slippery conditions could be around for the Thursday morning commute, especially on bridges and overpasses.
More significantly, the showers will be followed by a blast of cold arctic air that will put Delmarva back into the deep freeze for the rest of the week.
With the exception of Saturday (when temperatures will be seasonable, in the mid 40s), afternoon highs will be cold, in the mid 30s, with gusty winds making it feel like the 20s.
Another frontal boundary could bring some wintry precipitation on Sunday, but again, there are no signals for a significant winter storm.
In the long range, temperatures are expected to average below normal, and precipitation above normal for January 20 - January 26.