WSET.com - ABC13Arctic Blast Ahead This Weekend

From Chief Meteorologist Sean Sublette:

A shot of Arctic air is heading toward the Heart of Virginia this weekend. Just ahead of the intense cold will be a mixture of rain and snow showers Friday night. Central and Southside Virginia will get some occasional rain showers, as temperatures will remain just above the freezing mark all night. However, areas along and immediately west of the Blue Ridge Parkway will get just cold enough to see some wet snowflakes mixing with the rain showers, but no substantial accumulation is expected.

Farther west, in the counties along the West Virginia line, more snow will mix in with the rain showers, so some higher elevations of Alleghany, Bath, Bland, Craig, Giles, and Wythe Counties will have accumulating snow of 1-3" overnight. Gusty winds will also develop in these locations, making travel difficult late Friday night. Temperatures in these locations will remain in the upper 20s, so the snow will be heavy and wet.

Arctic air pushes through all of the state on Saturday. A mostly cloudy sky holds in Central and Southside Virginia, and temperature will hover in the 30s much of the day. While a couple of passing flurries or snow showers are possible, no accumulating snow is forecast. In addition, winds will increase to 15-25mph in the afternoon, with some gusts to 40mph. This combination will keep windchills in the 20s much of the afternoon. Coldest conditions come Saturday night and Sunday morning, when air temperatures drift into the teens, and windchills in the single digits.

Mountainous areas will remain cloudy and windy on Saturday with numerous snow showers and heavier squalls. Temperatures there will be in the 20s much of the day, and wind speeds will be 20-30mph, keeping windchills in the single digits. An additional inch of snow is possible in areas near Pearisburg, Covington, and Hot Springs.

Watch ABC 13 for the complete forecast and details.