Tuesday will be yet another opportunity for the area to see snow. It will be our first snow of the spring season, coming off a winter season with above-normal snowfall.
The precipitation will move in during the morning in the form of wet snow. To the west and north of the Richmond Metro (Charlottesville/Louisa down to Farmville), temperatures will be at or just below freezing when the precipitation arrives, so there may be a few slick spots on secondary roads. However, it won’t arrive in the Metro until mid-morning, and by then temperatures will rise into the mid and upper 30s.
As some warmer air works in, some rain will mix with the snow, and southeastern Virginia will see a changeover to rain.
The storm will exit Tuesday evening, and we will clear out Tuesday night into Wednesday morning as cold temperatures remain.
Accumulations will be definitely hampered by the warmer air and surface temperatures. If there are accumulations in central or southeastern Virginia, it will be very light and only on the grassy surfaces.
Colder areas to the northwest of the metro have the potential for a light snowfall accumulation. This will mainly be on the grass, but since surface temperatures Monday night into Tuesday morning will be near or below freezing, some minor accumulation will be possible on untreated roads. Unlike some previous storms that began as rain or freezing rain, road crews will be able to pre-treat roadways before the snow arrives.
This one computer model gives a rough idea of possible snowfall. What is not taken in account is the surface temperature, so some of those numbers represent some snow that falls, melts, and does not accumulate.
This storm will more visually interesting and cold more than anything else. Many areas by afternoon will see a scene similar to Sunday afternoon: rain mixing with snowflakes and sleet pellets, but nothing sticking around.
We will see a nice recovery in temps for the rest of the week, reaching the lower 70s by Friday.
