The weather this weekend promises to be exciting. Anytime forecasters face the chance of snow there’s a mad scramble to determine the amount and where it will fall. Too often the forecast is wildly off the mark, but the storm predicted for Friday evening will affect such a wide portion of the state it appears a sure thing that most everyone will experience something.
Greg Fishel said it’s highly unusual for a winter storm watch to be announced so far in advance. Precipitation estimates range from 3 to a whopping 11 inches! It will all come down to the wire Friday evening, but it seems certain that something will happen.
Here’s the latest winter storm warning message from the NWS:
URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
937 PM EST THU JAN 28 2010.A WINTER STORM WILL PRODUCE FROZEN PRECIPITATION ACROSS MOST OF CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA FRIDAY EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY.
NCZ007>011-021>027-038>041-291000-
/O.CON.KRAH.WS.W.0001.100129T2300Z-100131T0500Z/
PERSON-GRANVILLE-VANCE-WARREN-HALIFAX-FORSYTH-GUILFORD-ALAMANCE-
ORANGE-DURHAM-FRANKLIN-NASH-DAVIDSON-RANDOLPH-CHATHAM-WAKE-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…ROXBORO…OXFORD…HENDERSON…
WARRENTON…ROANOKE RAPIDS…WINSTON-SALEM…GREENSBORO…
HIGH POINT…BURLINGTON…CHAPEL HILL…DURHAM…LOUISBURG…
NASHVILLE…LEXINGTON…ASHEBORO…PITTSBORO…RALEIGH
937 PM EST THU JAN 28 2010…WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM FRIDAY TO MIDNIGHT EST SATURDAY NIGHT…
A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM FRIDAY TO MIDNIGHT EST SATURDAY NIGHT.
BASIS…A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH SOUTH THROUGH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA TONIGHT. DRAMATICALLY COLDER AIR BEHIND THE FRONT WILL SURGE INTO CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA ON FRIDAY. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY ON FRIDAY…MOVE EAST ACROSS THE DEEP SOUTH FRIDAY NIGHT…THEN EAST NORTHEAST OFF THE CAROLINA COAST ON SATURDAY.PRECIPITATION TYPES AND ACCUMULATION…SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 5 TO 8 INCHES ARE EXPECTED IN THE TRIAD AND NORTHERN PIEDMONT. SNOW AND SLEET ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES ARE EXPECTED IN THE TRIANGLE. PREDOMINATELY SNOW IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE TRIAD AND NORTHERN PIEDMONT OF CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA…ALTHOUGH A TRANSITION TO A MIX OF SNOW AND SLEET WILL BE POSSIBLE BEFORE PRECIPITATION ENDS SATURDAY AFTERNOON. FURTHER SOUTH IN THE TRIANGLE…ALL SNOW IS EXPECTED FRIDAY NIGHT…TRANSITIONING TO A MIX OF SNOW AND SLEET BY SUNRISE SATURDAY MORNING.
TIMING AND DURATION…PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO OVERSPREAD THE WARNING AREA FROM THE SOUTHWEST AFTER SUNSET FRIDAY EVENING…CONTINUING OVERNIGHT AND THROUGH THE DAY SATURDAY BEFORE ENDING SATURDAY EVENING. THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO FALL
FROM MIDNIGHT FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH MIDDAY SATURDAY.IMPACTS…ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOW AND SLEET WILL SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT TRAVEL ACROSS THE WARNING AREA. AFTER PRECIPITATION BEGINS LATE FRIDAY EVENING…TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN NEAR OR BELOW FREEZING THROUGH MIDDAY MONDAY.
A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW… SLEET…AND ICE ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. STRONG WINDS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. THIS WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS OR IMPOSSIBLE.