Severe Winter Weather Conditions Are Expected With A Major Arctic Outbreak During January 29-31
Accumulating snow and arctic air will combine to generate below zero temperature readings, with a chance to approach those felt in February 2015.
Conditions are likely to be significantly worse than the recent arctic blast of January 21, with much lower temperatures over fresh snow cover.
Beautiful Sunrise From UVA-Wise
Temperatures remained at or below freezing once again during Friday, following the recent light snow fall that produced a general 0.5″ to 1.0″ in the area.
Black Mountain Mesonet_Max 20.7 degrees At 4031 Feet
Friday afternoon temperatures varied from around 20 degrees at the top of the mountains to around 30 degrees at the elevation of Wise to 32 degrees at the elevation of Clintwood. Balmy versus next week!
Long Ridge of Sandy Ridge_Elevation 2650 Feet
The coldest temperatures observed so far during the 2018-19 winter season have generally varied between 4 degrees above zero to -7 to -10 degrees below zero.
The coldest wind chills being -20 to -30 below zero at highest elevations on Black Mountain and in the High Knob Massif, and around -15 degrees below in Wise.
European 51-Member Ensemble Mean 500 MB Height Anomalies_Days 4-8
A cross-polar flow will transport air from the most bitter portions of the arctic into this region to set the stage for a brutally cold ending to January and opening of February 2019.
European 51-Member Ensemble Mean 850 MB Temp Anomalies_Days 5-9
Temperatures will be increasingly bitter from southwest to northeast along the Appalachians during the January 29 to February 3 period, with temperature means at 850 MB during this 5-day period predicted to vary from 25 degrees over extreme northern Georgia to 0 degrees near the Pennsylvania-West Virginia state line. This is brutally cold for a 5-day ensemble MEAN temperature, with much lower specific MINS.
European Model Mean SLP-850 MB Wind Speeds At 7 AM January 29, 2019
A low pressure wave developing along an arctic front plunging into the Deep South will spread snow across the mountains Tuesday.
Although too early to determine actual amounts, the European group has been consistent in predicting a general 4″ to 8″ spread along the mountains.
If current timing holds, county school systems should consider canceling classes Tuesday, especially within counties along and west of the Virginia-Kentucky state line where snow and falling temperatures will occur earliest ( stay tuned for timing updates ).
