Mother Nature is having a bad hair day (or more), starting tonight with a Winter Weather Advisory issued by the National Weather Service office in Blacksburg and threatening rough times for last-minute Christmas shoppers.
The NWS report:
Issued By
Roanoke/Blacksburg – VA, US, National Weather Service
Affected Area
Portions of north central and northwest North Carolina, central, south-central, southwest and west central Virginia, and southeast West Virginia
Description
…WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 1 PM EST THURSDAY… WHAT…Mixed precipitation expected. Total sleet and/or ice accumulations from freezing rain of around one-tenth of an inch. WHERE…Portions of north central and northwest North Carolina, central, south central, southwest and west central Virginia and southeast West Virginia. WHEN…From 7 PM this evening to 1 PM EST Thursday. IMPACTS…Plan on slippery road conditions in spots, especially on bridges and overpasses. The hazardous conditions could impact the Thursday morning commute. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… Slow down and use caution while traveling.
The thermometer on our back porch read 21 degrees Fahrenheit at 0500 today and the temps are predicted to maybe hit 39 by 4 pm before heading south to an overnight low of 31 with snow showers expected to start falling around 11 p.m. and then turning to freezing rain and sleet Thursday morning with the hope it turns to just rain by the afternoon with temperatures in the mid to high 30s before falling below freezing (24 degrees).
Friday’s forecast predicts a high of 20 before plummeting into single digits overnight with a low of 1 degree to start Christmas Eve day with a high of just 19 and an overnight low of seven degrees on Christmas morning with a high of 27 during the day.
Monday is expected to start with a low of 13 degrees before warming, a little, to 32. The rest of the final week of 2022 expects highs in the mid-to-upper 50s and lows above freezing but also raining starting on Friday, continuing on Saturdays (New Year’s Eve), and into the start of 2023.
Ugh, let’s hope Mother Nature heads South and doesn’t come back.