DELMARVA FORECAST
Thursday night: Partly cloudy and seasonable. Lows in the mid to upper 20s.
Friday: A mix of clouds and sun. Seasonable. Highs in the mid 40s.
Saturday: Increasing clouds and much colder. Snow arrives late. Highs in the low 20s.
Sunday: Periods of snow, heavy at times in the morning. Then a mix of sleet, freezing rain, and plain rain in the afternoon, before changing back to snow Sunday night. Highs in the mid to upper 30s. Chance of precipitation near 100 percent.
Monday: Snow ending in the morning. Partly cloudy by afternoon. Breezy. Highs around 30°F. Chance of snow 30 percent.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny and cold. Highs in the mid to upper 20s.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny and cold. Highs in the upper 20s.
FORECAST DISCUSSION
Normal high: 45°F. Normal low: 28°F.
Our forecast for a winter storm this weekend continues to evolve, with significant effects expected across the entire peninsula.
A weak cold front will swing across Delmarva tonight, returning our overnight lows to the seasonable mid to upper 20s.
We'll see a mix of clouds and sun on Friday, but most of the day stays dry with seasonable afternoon temperatures in the mid 40s. A secondary dry cold front will swing through Friday night ushering in much colder temperatures for Saturday.
Winds will be from the north and breezy on Saturday, as the storm approaches from the southwest, however no significant precipitation is expected during the day. Temperatures will be cold, with highs only reaching the low 20s Saturday afternoon.
Our winter storm arrives late Saturday night. The current thinking is that it will start as all snow. The snow will likely be heavy at times through Sunday morning, with quick accumulation likely. Our guidance is continued to trend warmer and wetter for Sunday afternoon, with nearly all of Delmarva likely seeing some sort of a changeover to sleet, freezing rain, or all rain during the afternoon. The Atlantic coast is most likely to see more plain rain, and therefore lower snowfall totals.
Given this changeover, it's a good idea to keep up with shoveling walkways and driveways during the heavy snow in the morning, as the sleet and rain will make the snow wet and heavy and much more difficult to remove.
Wintry mix and rain will changeover back to snow Sunday night before ending on Monday morning. The highest snowfall accumulations will be over northern Delmarva, and especially near I-95, where a foot or more accumulation in possible. Much of the rest of Delmarva could see 6 to 12 inches of snow before the changeover to wintry mix and rain. Lower snowfall totals are expected along the Atlantic coast.
Even though precipitation will end Monday morning, we will deal with the effects of this storm through nearly all of next week. With afternoon highs expected to stay at or below freezing, any snow and ice will be slow to dissipate.
In the long range, temperatures are expected to average below normal, and precipitation below normal for January 29 - February 4.