After a couple chilly mornings, light snow remains a possibility for the Triangle by Wednesday.
Raleigh, N. C. — After a couple chilly mornings, light snow remains a possibility for the Triangle by Wednesday morning. According to WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner, it’s a system located to the west of North Carolina that could bring us the wintry mix.
Although it’s too early to know for sure, Gardner said the snow will be light, anywhere from a trace to 2 inches in Raleigh, with more snow likely closer to the Virginia line.
The European model shows the most snow for Wednesday, while the American model shows less. Gardner believes a trace of snow is more likely, though it’s too early to know.
“It’s not looking like we’ll get a lot of snow from this event, but models continue to show differences in timing and amounts of potential snowfall,” said Gardner. “We will do our best to fine-tune the details in the coming days.”
What is the chance that Raleigh will get snow at all? “Based on models, the chances of an inch or more of accumulation ranges from around 25 percent for Fayetteville, 50 percent around Raleigh and over 70 percent for south-central Virginia,” said Gardner.
The Triangle has seen a cold-warm-cold pattern over the last week, and, according to Gardner, the chilly temperatures will last another couple of days.
“Unlike the last event, where we had very cold air already in place, we’ll warm up some tomorrow before this front arrives, so there is a tricky aspect in determining how rapidly any initial rain changes over to predominantly snow,” said Gardner.
Temperatures in the 20s made for a cold Monday morning, but wind chill made it feel like temperatures were in the low teens. Highs should top out in the low 40s on Monday.
Tuesday will be a bit warmer, with highs in the upper 40s, before the system moves in, possibly bringing a wintry mix to the state. Highs in Raleigh on Wednesday are not expected to get much above freezing, which could cause some slick conditions if precipitation falls.
Thursday will be chilly before temperatures start to warm up for the weekend. According to Gardner, temperatures will be in the 50s Friday, likely reaching 60 degrees by Sunday.
As frigid air settles into the Triangle, Duke Energy Progress on Sunday asked customers to reduce electricity use until 10 a.m. Monday to help avoid higher stress on mechanical equipment used to generate and deliver electricity.
With the demand for heat increasing as temperatures dip, Duke Energy said customers could lessen the potential for isolated power outages during the period of high demand by:
