Thursday Morning 1/31 Quiet weather expected Today...but things will change late Tonight. Another storm system will come out of the Gulf on Friday and pass to our West. At the same time, a big area of High Pressure will be moving off the New England coast. The High will be close enough Tonight to keep the sky generally clear early...this will allow the temps to drop below freezing in most areas. The clouds will then roll in and hold things steady. The precipitation will be approaching from the South after Midnight...this will be a good set up for freezing rain and sleet. The air will be dry Tonight, so evaporative cooling will take the temps down even further initially. Warm air will then ride over the top of this cold surface air mass and produce a Friday Morning ice event in some areas. Here's a breakdown of what I expect:

We'll use the I-95 corridor as the dividing line again....North & West of I-95 it will start as a period of snow/sleet or freezing rain very early Friday Morning. The snow and sleet will mix out quickly and leave a pure freezing rain for a few hours...a small ice accumulation will be likely. The temps should get above freezing around the Metro Area by Mid Morning and everything will melt. This will just be a rain event after that point.

West of I-81 in the mountains, the cold air will hold much longer. This could be a significant ice storm for the Shenandoah Valley area. There could be over a quarter inch of ice on the trees and power lines.

I'll try and update later Today after I see the new model runs.  ¶ 8:40 AM