Deep Freeze: Wednesday wind chills keep us frigid as snowflake flutter freely

Wednesday will be a split forecast kind of day in regards of who sees drizzle, gloomy skies, and a passing snowflake or two and who doesn’t. We all will get to experience the frigid nature of a cold Canadian airmass and face stinging wind chills.

For our western facing ridgelines, especially Pocahontas, Nicholas, and Greenbrier counties, gloomy skies, light wintry mix at times won’t amount to much on the ground but slick, icy travel should be anticipated. Farther south and away from the mountain tops, we’re simply gloomy for a bulk of the day. It won’t be until late this afternoon into the evening we start to see some breaks in those stubborn clouds with a peek or two of sunshine just before sunset.

Wednesday evening, winds will relax a good bit easing wind chills some, but the stillness of the night with clearing skies, temps drop like a rock in a deep lake. Many will see temps dip back into the upper 20s and low 30s.

Thursday we start a warming trend but it’ll take a while to thaw out. Most of the morning we’re cold with the 30s & 40s. By the afternoon we’ll push the 50 degree mark. Mountains will see the mid to upper 40s again. At least there’s sunshine but that shade will feel rather cold. Thursday night temps tumble again back to freezing for many.

Friday we continue to inch back to average with a cold morning and comfortably cool afternoon in the low 60s. Sunshine with a few fair weather clouds mixed in make for an enjoyable day for those setting up for Bridge Day festivities. Lows will dip back into the low 30s.

Saturday, Bridge Day, will be a frigid morning with temps in the 30s but sunshine and light northwest winds 5-10mph keep temps near average for the afternoon. Highs for the day in the upper 60s will make for a beautiful day for base jumpers. Towards the late afternoon and early evening, around sunset, winds will pick up 10-15mph as air temps begin to cool faster than the surface. Temps will work back into the upper 30s for overnight lows.

Sunday is a rinse and repeat day with sunshine pushing temps back into the upper 60s. A few towns south and west of Beckley will try for the 70 degree mark in the late afternoon. After sunset with mostly clear skies, temps tumble back into the upper 30s and low 40s for lows.

Monday is once again dry, sunny, and on the warmer side towards the afternoon. Temps rebound from the 30s and 40s of the morning into the upper 60s in the mountains with lowlands reaching the low 70s. Fire dangers will be running high with lower humidity, light late afternoon winds, and very dry conditions. Remember, burning is heavily regulated or outright banned for both Virginia’s. Make sure to follow all local laws if deciding to burn.

Tuesday is yet another blue sky, sunshiny day. Morning temps will take some time to warm up out of the 40s but more of us will see the low 70s by the afternoon. With such a long break in rain, dry leaves falling, and drought conditions will only make our fire dangers continue to rise. At least we’re warm to do some annual clean up of those fallen leaves and move them away from homes and structures.

In your extended forecast, the fall swing from warm to cold continues with a few passing cold fronts. Despite the quietness in our weather pattern, Fall can be a time of strong to severe storms. With such drastic changes in temperatures, a cold front could still manage to bring damaging storms worthy of remaining aware of. For now, high pressure looks to dominate the forecast with sunshine and the 70s. That may change as we get closer to Halloween and the first week of November.

WEDNESDAY
Mostly dry day. High elevation flakes/clouds. Highs struggle into the upper mid 40s.
THURSDAY
Frost morning, chilly afternoon with sunshine. Highs in the low to mid 50s
FRIDAY
Warming up. Sunny. Highs in the low 60s.
SATURDAY
Beautiful Day! Sunshine and warm afternoon. Highs in the upper 60s.
SUNDAY
Cold start, nice afternoon with sunshine. Highs near 70.
MONDAY
Chilly morning, warm afternoon. Sunny. Highs near 70.
TUESDAY
Sunshine a plenty. Highs in the 70s.
WEDNESDAY
Rinse & repeat, sunshine and warm. Highs in the 70s.
THURSDAY
Sun & Clouds, warm. Highs in the 70s.
FRIDAY
Iso. shower, sun & clouds. Highs in the low 70s.
SATURDAY
Sunny and seasonally mild. Highs in the low 70s.
SUNDAY
Sun & Clouds, cooler. Highs in the upper 60s.

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