Headlines
A light wintry mix is possible areawide tonight (Watch for “black ice”)
Another round of a wintry mix possible Friday night and Saturday
A significant winter storm possible Sunday night – Tuesday
Watching the middle of next week for another possible winter storm
Meteorologist Mark’s Wx Vlog
48-Hour WX
Five-Day Forecast
Daily Forecast Summary
Today: Rain likely. Rain could end as a light wintry mix overnight. Be careful if you’re out and about and watch for “black ice” that ice that you can’t see on the road, but it is there!
Friday: Mostly cloudy. Light wintry mix possible overnight. Impacts to travel are possible.
Saturday: A wintry mix of freezing rain, sleet, and rain. Precip should stay on the light side.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy. A wintry mix develops overnight. Impacts could be severe.
Monday: A wintry mix of freezing rain, sleet, and snow. Impacts could be severe.
48-Hour Precip Forecast
Meteorologist Mark’s Wx Concerns
I’m most concerned about freezing drizzle overnight, which could create slick bridges and overpasses, with additional impacts to other area roads possible. Be very careful if you’re out and about. Just because the road just looks wet, doesn’t mean it’s not covered in a thin sheet of ice. Drive with care.
We may hover just above freezing for this event, but it’s too close for comfort. Be aware that light freezing rain may fall across the plateau Friday night and Saturday morning. Impacts to travel are the primary concern.
This is the most concerning timeframe of the forecast period. If trends continue, we could be looking at an ice storm situation. I’ll keep a very close eye on this.
Meteorologist Mark’s Snow Day Forecast
Freezing of water on roadways, along with the risk of freezing drizzle, makes me question whether or not there will be school on Friday.
If there were school on Monday, I would have gone 50% for Monday!
Meteorologist Mark’s Wx Discussion
Buckle up, folks. We’re in for a wild February ride!
First things first, a winter weather advisory is active for northern Fentress and northern Overton Counties for today, though I’ve not seen any reports of icy roads. Temps are hovering in the 32-33 degree range there, prompting the advisory.
Tonight, we all have the threat for a light freezing drizzle. That is concerning for area roads.
Friday night, another round of light wintry mix. I am feeling better about this, as we may be just warm enough to avoid troubles. With a freezing rain event, the plateau is sometimes saved by our elevation because we are high enough to be in the warmer air. We’ll see if that pans out this time. The official forecast low is 33 degrees….too close for comfort.
By Sunday night, the cold air will likely be deep enough to keep the plateau below freezing, but not deep enough for the rain to be snow. Instead, we may see freezing rain. This is the most concerning timeframe of the forecast period. At this time, I would expect about 1/4-1/2 inch of ice, if current trends continue. The precip may end as some accumulating snowfall.
And, it’s off into forecast “voo-doo” territory, but guidance is suggesting another winter storm by Wednesday. Stay tuned.
On This Day in Wx History
1899 – Perhaps the greatest of all arctic outbreaks commenced on this date. The temperature plunged to 61 degrees below zero in Montana. At the same time, a “Great Eastern Blizzard” left a blanket of snow from Georgia to New Hampshire. The state of Virginia took the brunt of the storm, with snowfall totals averaging 30 to 40 inches!
Almanac
Yesterday’s National Temperature Extremes
High: 88° at Rio Grande Village, Texas & at Miles City and Central, Florida
Low: -40° at Rudyard, Montana
Today’s National Wx Hazards
A wintry mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow will overspread an area from Texas to North Carolina. A travel nightmare, for sure. A swath of snow can be found from the Great Lakes Region to the West Coast. Freezing rain will wreck havoc along the Pacific Northwest Coast, while heavy snows fall in the higher elevations.
Tomorrow’s National Wx Hazards
Ice will fall from the Lower Mississippi River Valley to North Carolina. More accumulating snow will fall across the Central Plains and Great Lakes Region. More heavy snow can be found in the mountains along the Pacific Northwest Coast, as well as throughout the Rockies. Yet another area of snow can be found in western Texas.
Weather Shots
Travis Herzog, a meteorologist in Houston, Tweeted this yesterday: “We are now predicting Houston’s coldest February temperatures in 70 years. That 17 degrees could go colder depending upon how much ice/snow is on the ground from a winter storm on Presidents Day. Stay tuned.”
NASA Nerdology
February 1976: The spacecraft Pioneer 10 crossed Saturn’s orbit, recording data that indicated that Jupiter’s enormous magnetic tail, almost 800 million kilometers long (~500 million miles), covered the whole distance between the two planets.
Hey Mark, how do I change my email address for this? it need to be changed to the email I used for this.
If you’ll send me your new email I’ll send you an invite to that new address. That’d probably be easiest. My email is meteorologistmark@gmail.com