A winter storm will spread both snow and rain across the South and into the Mid-Atlantic Thursday into Thursday night.
Radar
Radar
The primary mechanism for this storm is a strong area of low-pressure aloft that will move through the Deep South Thursday and head into the Atlantic Ocean by early Friday.
Ahead of this system, heavy rain and flooding will be a concern in parts of the Appalachians and Southeast.
As for the wintry side, we will see rain changing to snow and sleet from parts of Mississippi, northern Alabama, northern Georgia and eastern Tennessee to the Southern Appalachians, northern North Carolina and Virginia Thursday morning through Thursday evening.
(MAP: Storm alerts)
We expect the heaviest accumulations, 6 inches or more, to be in the higher elevations of the Southern Appalachians.
Parts of Mississippi, northern Alabama and northern Georgia may see anywhere from a dusting to a few inches. Wet pavement could freeze into patches of "black ice" on roadways Thursday night into Friday morning. Keep this in mind if you have travel plans during this time.
(FORECAST: Atlanta | Birmingham | Chattanooga | Huntsville)
Snow Forecast
Snow Forecast
Snow Forecast
Snow Forecast
To the east of the Appalachians, 1 to 3 inches (locally heavier amounts) of accumulation is possible from northern North Carolina to parts of central/eastern Virginia and southern Maryland. Some accumulating snow is possible as far north as the Washington, D.C. and Dover, Del. metro areas, which could affect the afternoon and evening commute. This is roughly the northern fringe of potential accumulations is this region and exact amounts will be dependent on how much moisture reaches this far north.
The southern fringe of possible snow accumulations may reach as far south as Raleigh, N.C. and Greensboro, N.C.
If D.C. can officially record more than two inches of snow, it would exceed the entire total from all of last season. So far this season, only two tenths of an inch of snow has been measured.
(FORECAST: D.C. | Raleigh | Richmond)
Though snowfall with this system will be of short duration, it could also be heavy at times. Given that temperatures have been mild recently, the best chance for accumulations in the lower elevations outside the Appalachians will be on grassy and elevated surfaces. That said, heavier snowfall rates could lead to accumulations on road surfaces as well.
As the storm shifts out to sea on Thursday night, it may move close enough to the Northeast coast to bring some snow to parts of the southern New Jersey coast, eastern Long Island and far southeastern New England.
