Cold but not much falling this AM
Temperatures are hovering near to slightly above the freezing mark in the Roanoke and New River valleys this morning, but most precipitation has moved east. Some patchy drizzle/freezing drizzle may occur. Ice/sleet/snow issues gradually increase the farther north you go from Roanoke — be aware if traveling, especially approaching bridges and overpasses. Winter weather advisories remain in effect this morning for Botetourt, Craig, Rockbridge, Alleghany and Bath counties, with winter storm warnings farther northeast. There also may be some icing in higher elevations along the Blue Ridge to the south of Roanoke. Additional rain is expected to move in later today or tonight, but temperatures should be above freezing by that time (though not warm, slowly rising through 30s to low 40s) and remain that way through the course of the rain. A cold week, relative to mid March, is ahead with highs in the 40s (some 30s) and lows in the 20 and 30s most days, Tuesday possibly being the biggest exception with some near-normal 50s. There may be another precipitation maker to watch late this week during this unseasonably cold period, but much remains uncertain about its evolution and track. A weak system may bring a chance of some snow showers on Wednesday.
March 18, 2013 - 7:27 AM
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I have to ask. when do you foresee a break for warm weather…I’m done! I am traveling near statesville on the 29th and really want warm, springlike, camping weather down there that weekend but I’m not counting on it as I see 40′s all week here…:(
30.6* with a light coating of ice on the truck. Didn’t see any sign of sleet tho.
Scott, I would say right now it will be April before we get 60s/70s for more than a day.
We picked up a decent 0.57″ of rain yesterday…starting mostly after about 630-7 but almost nothing after about midnight. It was a good soaking kind of rain, though cold. Any more that we can get later today and tonight will be welcomed.
Very foggy and thick mist here temp is 34
28 and coated in ice up here on Doppler Ridge this morning. Everything looks wet but it is not – it’s ice. Tops of the trees have some of that Rime Ice. Even ice on the grass, deck, railings and icicles hanging off of the clothesline. Also dense fog but at least I can see down to the end of the drive. I would say visibility is about three tenths of a mile. Light breeze out of the southeast. Total rainfall is now at “0.25″ in the last 24 hours. Had some brief heavy showers around 11 pm last night.
Clarkdocvet – I am going to hide in your luggage and go with you on your trip to Belize! What an awesome way to celebrate the big “5-0″.
Jared – so glad to hear that you got some snow! Celebrate!
Noticing a bit of ice on my wooden deck now. Still 32. (1400 feet elev., south Roanoke County)
Kevin…. how did last nights models look for the late week system?
I think Mother Nature might have imbibed a little too much on the green beer Saturday! High of 78* on Saturday, with a summer-like thunderstorm to go along with it, to highs of 45* yesterday with sleet and snow. With the current pattern, I see us having a VERY wet spring. The last spring I remember setting up like this was either 3 or 4 years ago, the only reason I remember it is because most all of my daughters softball games were rained out that year in rec.
Flutie: Euro is way south, suppressing it near the Gulf. GFS is north, with snow/rain mix. Split the difference and you’d have a decent winter storm track for our region. WPC is buying into Euro and keeping it south, for now.
THIS IS GETTING OLD. ….. STILL 31* here, at 10:10 A.M. on March 18th. That is about 6 or 7 degrees below the normal low, but it is showing zero signs of warming up so far.
Just got an e-mail from my sister Susie who lives in NE Massachusetts. She and Malcolm returned on Saturday from a week on Florida’s Gulf Coast, mostly in the Fort Myers general area. Highs were at least 75* there each day, and no rain. Temp at her house at dawn? 12*. With about 4 inches of snow forecasted for tomorrow. Her reaction? “Send me back to Florida!!”
Using up space so that the smiling faces are after ….
I should have known we’d have a March like this when we were sweating with fans running as the A/C was replaced at The Roanoke Times last year during the warmest March on record.
Just .35 inches of rain so far for the event. 32.9 degrees now at the west side of SML.
Nurse Shanon, the wet April was almost certainly April of 2011. Huge 5.33 inches of Roanoke rain. Last year was only 3.04, 2010 was dry at 1.35, 2009 was normalish at 3.20, and another wet April was 2008 with 4.94 inches.
I hope that the rest of March and April are just a bit wetter than normal, that’s all. We have had a wet start to 2013, and we don’t need for it to be a lot wetter than normal.
The latest monthly ENSO report of March 7th continues to show a return to neutral conditions for just about the rest of 2013, certainly through all the summer months. Two lines out of about 26 models show temps reaching a weak La Nina level about October. For the past two months the temps have been well below normal, even reaching -0.6 briefly in mid-January., but they have already warmed a bit and are expected to get back to the zero line in 2 or 3 months.
Temps still not moving. 31.5*, and I just re-checked our mailbox. Sure enough, there is a tiny skim of ice on the top of it. Street and driveway seem OK.
31* at 11:30 and a real, real fine snow mist. Maybe freezing fog or freezing drizzle, but it’s white.
Lunch time report from Doppler Ridge – Temps have made it up to 30 (went down to 27 earlier this morning). Still misty, foggy and the ice layer is getting thicker on everything! Time to pull out the ice cleats to put on the boots. Good news though – no wind.
Kevin, do you think we are looking at a below normal temperatures for the duration of the Spring say up till the first of June or is that a tough call to make this far out? The earlier comment about Ft.Myers, Fla sure sounds good to me!! Ready for some warmth!!!
Thanks
Kevin, you and other weathermen call this a CAD event, Cold Air Daming. I say your wrong. I call it DCA, meaning I call it Daming Cold AIr.
Doug,,,ref the previous post…not everything you find on Google
is necessarily complete…
My quest went from pool tables…to boats..
to geography….the most reasonable answer
does not really have to do with the tiny corner of
Indiana..
Its interesting that aviation has helped to continue
this namesake.
But Doug..I dont feel that you’ve “dug” deep enough.
It’s hovering right at freezing in Blacksburg, and there’s been something like a very fine snow falling off and on, leading to a light slushy crust in places…combined with freezing drizzle. The higher elevations are showing it much more than lower…even just in driving across the VT campus. Up by the airport and hospital, it’s quite noticeable, even on some grassy surfaces. But in the campus core and downtown at slightly lower elevations, very little frozen anything is apparent.
I have observed a constant peppering of snow grains for the last three hours. Does not appear to be sticking, temperature is at 33. On a dark object, the grains look like frozen rice.
Very fine mist of snow falling here on campus as we hover around 32. It’s sticking to mulch and some raised surfaces. It will be interesting to see what happens when all that moisture to the west gets here.
I would call it snizzle, on the south end of Blacksburg right now.
Looks like some fairly heavy rain headed our way for later this afternoon.
Wow, the 12Z GFS came back with the sunday/monday storm (similar to last nights 18Z). If this thing materializes…get ready!
The arrival of that moisture from the west should coincide with southerly winds aloft bringing in milder air to start breaking down the cold air wedge. We’ll see if that’s what happens.
Right heavy snow mist with some small flakes mixed in. Even stuck in a couple of my potted plants. 32.0*
Slight freezing-drizzle in early-mid-morning, on metal railings and vehicles.
Now melted, but temperature hoving appx. 35/36. GACK, what a somber
and sodden, down-trodden day!
Light snow now and sticking to trees and anything above the ground with a coating of ice, but not the grass or vehichles.
Been in the Valley View area of Roanoke for a while. We had a bit of that snizzle stuff for a while, now just plain drizzle.
I think it’s possible that when the heavier echoes arrive later there may be a snow and/or sleet burst at least to start.
Spent the weekend at a Bed and Breakfast in northern Virginia. We woke up to about 3″ of snow this morning. It was lovely! The roads were in good shape by the time we left (I66 & I81). It looked as though they had almost 4″ up around Strasburg and Front Royal. As we drove south it slowly diminished and by the time we got south of Lexington, it was all rain.
Doug: yes there is still construction on I81 north of Lexington and it is still on the northbound side. As we drove up on Saturday, the crews were not working so it did not hold us up any.
What’s this I hear about a possible winter storm late this week or this weekend? Someone please enlighten me.
D.C. and Doug,thanks for the comments…wish we had room for ya to go! I love Belize as the people are friendly,the weather warm,and the beer is cheap!!
The diving is awsome, too,as they have the world’s second longest barrier reef (guess who has the world’s longest??). They don’t have many golf courses though Doug,as most of the country is either jungle or water!! I do remember years ago we went in March over my birthday and left temps in the 80′s with sandals on and got home to Galax and stepped into 6″ of snow!! What a shock! Do wish I would be here if a decent snow is coming…We have limited internet on the island,but hope to give ya’ll some warm weather updates as well as check on things around here.
Doc, keep them to yourself. I don’t want to here about how nice it is there when it’s ugly here like today. Don’t do the board any favors.
wd LOL
Started a fresh blog entry with the new batch of precipitation moving in.