Record Warmth Then Wintry Mess
Temperatures will climb into the upper 50s Thursday and a new record high is likely to be established. That's the good news...after that, we have plenty of weather headaches on the way. Rain showers will pass through the Valley at times late Thursday into Friday morning. The rain will become freezing rain as temperatures slide below 32 degrees early Friday afternoon. Surfaces can quickly get slippery. Freezing rain will mix with and change to sleet before Friday is through. Finally as the air in the entire lower atmosphere gets cold enough, snow will take over Friday night. Several inches of snow can accumulate before daybreak Saturday.
Rain will change to freezing rain early Friday PM. A welcome change to sleet will occur in many places later in the day. The longer the freezing rain lasts, the more problems there can be on surfaces; highest risk for that will be south and east of Y-town pic.twitter.com/fVUry9Q2ld
— Eric Wilhelm (@EricWFMJ) January 10, 2018
While the steady snow will be long gone by mid-morning Saturday, spotty flurries may linger through midday. Temperatures will stay in the teens and wind chills are expected to hover near zero. It will remain quite cold into early next week.