Meteorologist Myles Henderson’s First Warning Forecast
***A Blizzard Warning is in effect for Chesapeake, Hampton, Norfolk, Northampton Co (VA), Poquoson, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach.***
***A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for all of Hampton Roads and Northeastern North Carolina until 10:00 pm Saturday***
Significant snow, strong winds, and extreme cold… Expect snow to fall for most of the day. The snow will taper off from west to east late this afternoon. Locations on the Southside and NE NC that saw sleet and rain this morning could finish the day with a shot of snow.
Here are some impacts we can expect from this storm:
Roads will be snow-covered and dangerous for days
Gusty winds and heavy snow will cause power outages
Single-digit wind chills on Sunday and Monday mornings
Most of Hampton Roads and inland NE NC will see 8 to 12” of snow. Locally higher totals are possible. Rain and sleet mixing in near the Albemarle Sound will reduce snow totals to around 4 to 8”. More rain and sleet will keep totals in the 1 to 4” range for the Outer Banks.
We will not only be dealing with the snow, we will also have to deal with strong and gusty winds. Winds will be out of the north at 20-30 mph and gusts of 35+ mph today. Expect NW winds at 10 to 20 with gusts to 25 mph on Sunday. Winds will continue to relax Sunday night into Monday.
Temperatures will be extremely cold for the next few day and the wind will make it feel even colder. Expect highs in the mid 20s on Sunday with lows falling into the teens. Highs will struggle to top the freezing point on Monday. It will feel 10 to 15 degrees colder than the air temperature because of the strong winds. That means wind chills in the single digits Sunday and Monday morning. With the stretch of cold temperatures over the next couple of days, melting will be a very slow process and refreeze is likely.
Today: Widespread Snow, Windy. Highs near 30. Winds: N 20-30 G35+
Tonight: Clearing Skies, Windy. Lows in the upper teens. Winds: NW 15-25 G30
Tomorrow: Mostly Sunny, Cold, Windy. Highs in the mid 20s. Winds: NW 10-20 G25
Today in Weather History (NWS Wakefield)
January 7th
1996 Blizzard: Heavy Snow (3 Day Period)
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