RICHMOND, Va. -- High pressure will settle into our region Thursday and Friday, keeping us dry and seasonal, with highs in the upper 40s and lower 50s and partly cloudy skies. We are also tracking a piece of upper-level energy over the Four Corners region right now that will track southeast to the northern Gulf of Mexico by late Thursday.
This low will track east over northern Florida on Friday, and then hug the Southeast Coast. This system will send increasing clouds over us Friday and rain from south to north from late Friday night into Saturday.
Rain will become heavy at times Saturday morning as the low intensifies off the North Carolina coast.
With that intensification, colder air will wrap around the northwest side of the low into central Virginia, allowing the rain to change to snow mid-Saturday morning. If dry air doesn’t intrude too quickly, then the snow may continue into mid-day. As the timing looks right now, the precipitation will end early Saturday afternoon. Temperatures will be marginal for accumulation, so any snowfall looks light in the metro. The farther north and west of Richmond you are, the better your chance of seeing an inch of snow.
Sunday will be the better outdoor day of this weekend, with partly cloudy skies and highs in the upper 40s.
A deep upper-level trough will dig into the eastern U.S. Monday and Tuesday, driving much colder air into the region. Energy swinging through the base of the trough (another clipper) will bring us a chance for light snow Monday, but low-level cold air could again be problematic for accumulations. High temps will struggle to get above freezing in the wake of this system on Wednesday.
