DELMARVA FORECAST
Friday night: *Cold Weather Advisory* Cold with increasing clouds. Lows in the single digits. Wind chills near 0°F.
Saturday: Cold, with snow developing in the afternoon, mostly over the Lower Eastern Shore and over Accomack County. Windy. Winds from the north could gust to 25 mph or more. Highs in the low 20s. Wind chills in the single digits. Chance of snow 60 percent.
Sunday: Cold, with snow ending by midday. Total accumulations of 2 to 6 inches, mainly over southern Delmarva. Very windy. Winds from the north-northwest could gust to 50 mph or more; stronger gusts are possible at the coast. Blowing snow. Highs in the mid 20s. Wind chills in the single digits. Chance of snow 30 percent.
Monday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the low 30s.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 30s.
Wednesday: A chance of rain/snow mix. Highs in the mid to upper 30s. Chance of precipitation 40 percent.
Thursday: Partly cloudy. Highs in the low 30s.
FORECAST DISCUSSION
Normal high: 46°F. Normal low: 28°F.
We are still expecting a winter storm to affect parts of Delmarva this weekend, with the Lower Eastern Shore and Accomack County the most likely to see accumulating snow. The Midshore and Delaware will likely see only a dusting, with the greater chances the farther south you travel.
Of more significant concern with this storm will be gusty winds and extreme cold. During the weekend, winds from the north could gust up to 40 mph over land, and up to 50 mph at the coast. This could lead to lots of blowing snow reducing visibility, even where the lowest snow accumulations happen. I don't want to rule out the possibility of blizzard conditions at the coast as visibility could fall below ¼ mile at times.
The cold will be even more brutal than it has been in recent days this weekend. With overnight lows falling to the low teens, the wind will make it feel like near -10°F at times. During the day, the wind chills will often only be in the single digits.
Milder temperatures are in the forecast for next week, but they will still be well below normal, in the low to mid 30s Monday through Wednesday. A clipper system could bring a rain/snow mix on Wednesday.
In the long range, temperatures are expected to average below normal, and precipitation below normal for February 6 - February 12.