“Confederate Snow” to Clip WV Turnpike

The third in a trilogy of winter storms this week will be threatening parts of Kentucky and West Virginia on Thursday while leaving the Buckeye State with a free pass. In fact, only a small slither of the Bluegrass and a crescent of the Mountain State will have any snow to crow about.

This next storm will be a potent one as it snows on southern towns from Richmond and Blacksburg Va. south to Tobacco Road in North Carolina where towns like Raleigh, Winston-Salem, Charlotte and even Atlanta, Ga. are in for more snow than Huntington, Charleston, Ashland and Ironton.

If you think of a fence where there is snow on the south side and nothing on the north side you will be able to envision this set-up with the lion’s share of wsaz.com-land on the north side of the divider.

In Kentucky, Pike County will get in on an afternoon rain changing to snowfall. While Pikeville and Belfry and even South Williamson get some melting wet snow and perhaps a grassy coating, the steeper hills on the Kentucky-Virginia border are likely to measure 4” atop the Breaks Interstate Park near Elkhorn City.

Crossing the Levisa and Tug Forks (both of which have crested and are falling without any flooding issues from Wednesday’s rains) into Mingo, McDowell and Wyoming Counties WV, again there will be sharp cut-off in the snow.

Snow accumulations will average a grassy inch in the Pidgeon Creek watershed from Pie and Varney over to old Burch and Matewan Highs before increasing to 3”-6” across McDowell County near Welch.

In Logan County a trip along state Route 10 and the Guyandotte River will likely feature a few flurries at Chapmanville, a dusting on Middleburg Island and perhaps an inch in Man. Across the county line, 3” inches at RD Bailey Dam in Wyoming County seems a good bet.

Traveling the WV turnpike out of Charleston on Thursday afternoon will see a low overcast with a few spitting flurries from the city south to Cabin Creek and Chelyan. Farther south toward Pax, Tamarack and Beckley an inch of snow seems a good bet. By the time you make it to Bluefield and the state line snow accumulations are likely to increase to 3”-6” with plowing and salting needed. If you make the eastward turn on I-64 toward the Greenbrier Valley, steady afternoon snow and a 3 inch accumulation, seems a good possibility.

By the way, the snow will never make it to Canaan Valley/Timberline while Snowshoe will manage an inch or two. Likewise condtions on I-79/77 north out of Charleston are AOK as is the trek across I-68 and I-70 into Hagerstown and Frederick Md.

Brandon has you covered with the latest first thing in the morning and as always his blog delves deeper into the weather.

http://www.wsaz.com/blogs/brandonsblog/brandonbutcher/Hey_look_January_186932291.html