Warm and Rainy Today; Wintry Mix Possible Tomorrow.

WINTER WEATHER IMPACTS FORECAST AS OF THU AFTERNOON

TODAY: Highs in the upper 60s under overcast skies. Showers become more widespread in the afternoon and evening. Overnight lows in the mid 40s. Chance of rain around 50% during the day.

Things To Consider Friday

FRIDAY: This remains a complicated forecast, but most of the model guidance has come in line to my thinking from yesterday. Rather than a strong, closed low, this system will remain more of an open wave as it pushes through our area. The back edge of the precip will be met by cold air advecting in behind the cold front. It looks like this may come together to produce a brief change from rain to freezing rain to possibly sleet or snow at the very end of the precipitation. This particular event certainly has the potential to be a dud for our area, but also has the potential to drop some accumulating ice, sleet, and snow in some spots as well. If we see significant travel issues, it would be in the northern portions of our viewing area, where accumulations of wintry precip could cause travel issues mainly isolated to bridges, overpasses, or any other elevated surfaces. The warm, wet ground should limit accumulations significantly and so I still suspect overall travel won’t be too bad in our area. It will be colder during the day Friday, with highs in the 40s. Overnight lows drop to the 20s, but black ice is not likely to be an issue due to gusty winds during the day leading to efficient surface evaporation.

WEEKEND: Sunny and cool. Highs in the upper 30s under partly cloudy skies. Overnight lows in the teens and 20s.

MLK DAY: A bit warmer, with highs in the upper 40s under mostly sunny skies. Overnight lows still drop to the 20s.

TUE/WED: Partly cloudy to partly sunny. Highs in the mid 30s. Overnight lows Tuesday in the teens.