Winter storm warning to take effect ahead of Friday snow

455

Winter storm warning to take effect ahead of Friday snow
Updated graphics from the National Weather Service continue to predict between 8 and 12 inches of snow for area communities. (Photo/via National Weather Service)

REGION – Forecasters have issued a winter storm warning for much of the state, including area communities, ahead of a batch of winter weather set to roll through the region overnight tonight and into the day on Friday.

The warning will take effect at midnight and remain in place for 24 hours after that.

Snow could come down at rates of one to two inches per hour particularly during the morning commute, according to an updated statement from the National Weather Service.

“Travel will be quite difficult during this time,” the NWS noted in a bulletin just before 4:30 a.m. this morning.

Conditions will deteriorate in the early hours of Friday morning, with snow moving in between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., according to the NWS. Their update this morning explained that a “thump” of heavy snow will then hit rather quickly after first flurries begin to fall.

Snow may give way to a mix of sleet and rain during the day on Friday, though this event is still expected to drop anywhere from 8 to 12 inches of snow on the region.

Motorists may run into “flash freeze” conditions as roadways get slick later in the day.

Likewise, communities may see a second batch of snow later in the afternoon on Friday even if rain or sleet moves in around mid-day, forecasters say.

“While this will not be as significant as what we will see earlier Friday morning, sometimes you can get a period of decent snowgrowth and a few additional fluffy inches,” the NWS wrote of that snow.

These projections all come just a day after area communities saw record setting temperatures on Wednesday, with weather climbing to 70 degrees in some locations.

A cold front moved across the region overnight, however, leading to a massive temperature swing ahead of this incoming storm.

“Incoming!” the NWS tweeted in one message alongside a temperature map that showed the sudden change.

No posts to display