The coldest air in months is in sight

There will be cloudy skies and a few snow showers this evening as temperatures continue to slowly fall. We’ll end up falling back into the mid to upper 20s, with isolated thunderstorms a good bet. Most cities will not see snow accumulations, but the highest peaks above 3,500 feet could see up to an inch of snow accumulation in places like Snowshoe Mountain, the Yew Mountains and other high mountain areas like Briery Knob. The biggest danger for anyone heading out for Black Friday tonight will be the risk of black ice as road temperatures fall below freezing. Untreated roads, bridges and overpasses are the most likely places for these problems to occur. Additionally, occasional gusts of wind at speeds of around 20 miles per hour mean we will experience wind chill values ​​into the teens – this wind will already add an extra stimulus to the winter weather!

Black Friday will be a very chilly shopping day with mostly cloudy skies and occasional early snow showers. We’ll try to see a few rays of sunshine peeking through the clouds through the afternoon, but it will be difficult to see many breaks in the clouds overall while sledding. High temperatures will barely reach freezing, and with a stiff westerly breeze that could again reach gusts of over 20 miles per hour, we expect wind chill values ​​to reach well into the teens. From Friday night into Saturday we will again have to watch out for isolated black ice events as temperatures drop back into the freezing range. This is a cold trend, and any time we see temperatures dip back into the freezing range for a few hours, it’s a good idea to check the pipes – consider keeping a drip running, especially if you have exposed pipes.

Saturday gets off to a very cold start with partly cloudy skies the night before and temperatures dropping to freezing. The last time we were in our teens was February 25th – so this will be a bit of a shock to the system! Despite a few hours of sunshine, we won’t be warming up too much either, as the maximum temperatures are only below 30°C – we’re lucky that we’re breaking the freezing point! We’ll see cloud cover increase late in the sky as another system approaches – snow showers will mainly continue into Sunday – on the plus side clouds will keep temperatures from falling below 20 degrees overnight.

Sunday will start off mostly cloudy with a few snow flurries. These flurries will continue into the afternoon and with the clouds hanging hard, temperatures will barely rise – we will see highs in the 30s! Since most of the snow falls during the day, snow totals will be minimal in the lowlands, but with mountain snow continuing into the overnight hours Sunday into early Monday, a few inches of snowfall over the highest peaks is a good bet. Skies will clear after midnight into Monday and temperatures may drop into the mid teens!

High pressure returns on Monday, but with skies clearing the night before, it’s another brutal start in the teens. We will see a northerly breeze keeping temperatures very cold as highs remain only in the mid to upper 20s. The coldest high we’ve ever seen in Beckley on December 2 is 28 degrees, set in 1910 – and it’s at risk of being broken.

StormTracker 59 travel forecast

Tuesday will remain dry with lots of sunshine, but it will still be quite cold. We won’t see temperatures in the 20s again until the brutal air mass continues.

On Wednesday our temperatures will start to warm up, rising to over 30°C. A weak system will approach Wednesday evening bringing a few showers of rain and snow, but this clipper system will move quickly.

StormTracker 59’s 2024-25 winter season outlook for the two Virginias

Thursday will be drier, but we will be caught between two systems, with one system to the northeast and another to the south. High temperatures will rise back above 40°C, which is a little closer to normal for this time of year.

Looking forward, temperatures will remain well below normal in your extended forecast. We should see highs around 50 degrees, but it’s a polar air mass that will persist. Temperatures will at least climb back into the 40s, with another system arriving Friday through Saturday. Pressure will be high again by Sunday.

TONIGHT
Isolated snow showers. Watch out for black ice. Windy, with lows in the mid to upper 20s.
BLACK FRIDAY
Little snow flurries. Mostly cloudy, windy and cold! Highs in the mid 30s.
SATURDAY
Mostly sunny. The clouds increase late. Highs in the low 30s.
SUNDAY
Scattered snow flurries. Very cold! Highs in the low 30s.
MONDAY
Mostly sunny. Very cold! Highs in the upper 20s.
TUESDAY
Mostly sunny. Still cold! Highs near 30.
WEDNESDAY
Increasing clouds. Rain/snow showers late in the day. Highs in the upper 30s.
THURSDAY
Partly sunny. Highs in the low 40s.
FRIDAY
Scattered showers. Highs in the mid 40s.
SATURDAY
Partly sunny. Highs near 40.
SUNDAY
Partly sunny. Highs in the low 40s.

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