WINSTON-SALEM, NC– Cold and dry with changing clouds and a northeasterly breeze, the weekend begins. To keep dry during Christmas preparations, perform errands on Saturday. As temperatures drop into the 30s Saturday night, a slow-moving cold front will approach from the west.
Rain is forecast overnight and early Sunday when temperatures are near freezing. Snow, sleet, and freezing rain are forecast early Sunday morning in the Blue Ridge Parkway and northern counties. Piedmont Triad travel effect is currently predicted to be minimal. How frigid evening temperatures are will determine it.
The NWS has issued a winter weather advisory for mountain counties in North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. It runs Sunday from midnight to noon in Alleghany, Ashe, Watauga, Carroll, and Grayson counties in North Carolina and Virginia.
Saturday midnight-2 a.m. Sunday – By midnight Saturday, North Carolina and Virginia mountains may get light rains.
2 a.m. Sunday -10 a.m. Sunday – The overnight wintry mix may threaten the Appalachian mountains until 10 a.m. Sunday along the Blue Ridge Parkway. For hours, temperatures will be in the upper 20s and lower 30s.
Rain Type
At the start, sleet, snow, and freezing rain may mix, then becoming mostly freezing rain by Sunday morning. Before midday, wintry mix may make roads treacherous until temps reach the upper 30s. Light glazing is feasible on high surfaces. In the cooler North Carolina and Virginia High Country, less than two-tenths of an inch of ice may form. Power outages are less likely with a light glaze, but occasional outages may occur at higher elevations. High surfaces like trees, automobiles, electricity wires, bridges, on-ramps, and exits can generate black ice.
Some snow and sleet may accumulate, but most regions will see less than a half inch.
Expect a triad and foothills with redeveloping clouds on Saturday and dry weather through Saturday night east of the mountains, with highs in the 40s.
10 a.m. Sunday -2 p.m.Sunday – Parts of the Foothills and Piedmont Triad may see a wet mix with light freezing rain or drizzle early Sunday. Weather forecast: low-to-mid 30s after 3 a.m. These cold temperatures may cause some mild ice on raised surfaces below 32 degrees.
Piedmont Triad May Have Patchy Black Ice
Some important highways may remain wet, but temperatures may drop enough for black ice. Please drive carefully overnight Saturday through at least 10 a.m. Sunday in the Piedmont Triad due to black ice risks.
On the current storm track, freezing precipitation early Sunday will turn to rain by 10 a.m., with rain showers expected throughout the day and especially after 2 p.m. Sunday in the Piedmont Triad. Overcast skies with rain breaks are expected Sunday as temperatures reach the lower 40s.
Some portions of the Piedmont Triad may receive relatively brief freezing drizzle, but it will be enough to make elevated surfaces slick. The Foothills and Northern Piedmont may receive a tenth of an inch of rain. Sunday night and early Monday morning may bring less than a tenth of an inch of rain to the Triad.
In the mountains and along the North Carolina-Virginia border, Sunday morning traffic is smooth. Travel may be less affected in the Piedmont Triad and Foothills if temps stay in the mid-30s. However, variances in ground elevation, number of structures nearby, and traffic may cause roadways to stay warmer or cooler between neighborhoods.
