Forecast Last Updated at Wednesday, January 22, 2020 at 6:51AM

Milder Day; Cold Valleys Tonight

Valleys are waking up to low teens and single digits this morning, but mountaintops are 15 degrees warmer. We'll have a milder daytime, then another temperature inversion develops tonight--all under mostly clear skies. Thursday, sunshine gives way to clouds as moisture arrives from the southwest. Precipitation begins around or after midnight Thursday night in the form of rain or freezing rain. Temperatures slowly rise Friday quickly changing all precipitation to rain. Heaviest rain will be in the PM hours Friday. Colder air returns Friday night setting us up for snow showers or flurries this weekend.

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Wednesday Hi: 44 Lo: 17 Bright sunshine; Milder daytime; Cold in valleys tonight; Light SE wind, but breezy tonight up top

Thursday Hi: 44 Lo: 30 Sunshine giving way to more clouds late; Rain or freezing rain possible late Thur. night; Light SE wind, but becoming windy at higher elev's Thur. night

Friday Hi: 40 Lo: 31 Cloudy; Rain, heavy in the PM; Some freezing rain possible early AM; Flurries possible late Fri. night; SE wind 5-15 mph, but very windy at higher elev's, becoming NW late Fri. night

Saturday Hi: 36 Lo: 28 Mostly cloudy; Snow showers or flurries; Blustery; Cold

Sunday Hi: 38 Lo: 27 Mostly cloudy; Cold; Snow showers or flurries; Blustery

Further Out

Monday - Clearing; Chilly; High near 40 degrees; Low in the upper 20s
Tuesday - Mostly clear; Seasonal temperatures; High in the lower 40s; Low near 30 degrees

Forecast Discussion

Arctic high pressure is moving into the Northeast U. S. today. This morning's inversion (milder up, colder down) develops again tonight after a milder daytime. Skies are mostly clear.

Thursday, the high moves into the Atlantic but forces a chilly wedge down the east side of the Appalachians. Meanwhile, low pressure to our southwest pushes moisture over the top of that chilly wedge. Clouds increase Thursday afternoon and evening. Precipitation begins around or after midnight Thursday night as rain mixed with pockets of freezing rain. Precipitation changes to rain early Friday morning with freezing rain hanging on the longest in areas right along the Blue Ridge from Blowing Rock into Virginia. There, a glaze of ice is possible into early Friday morning. Rain will be heaviest Friday afternoon and evening.

A cold front moves through Friday night. Colder air returns from the northwest. Snow showers and flurries are possible late Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday. Accumulations will be a dusting for most; however, a couple inches are possible at higher elevations near the Tennessee/North Carolina border. The weekend is chilly and blustery, but not exceptionally cold.

Skies clear Monday with high pressure moving across the Eastern U. S. Temperatures early next week will be near seasonal averages.

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