Blog: Rain Then Accumulating Wet Snow

Early April can be a real "up and down" time for our region weatherwise. Wild temperature swings and different modes of precipitation are not uncommon.With that in mind, buckle up! We are going to see a few different seasons between now and early next week.

RAINY NIGHT, RAW AND WET THURSDAY

A storm system continues to chug east through the Midwest this morning. It's already producing severe weather in the Southeast and it will be a very, very busy day and night for forecasters in this region.The severe weather risk is quite high from roughly the Ohio River to the Gulf Coast and over to parts of the Carolinas today into tonight.It will not take much to get storms to rotate today, especially later on.Notice that the Valley is not in one of the higher risk categories. While there may be thunder here tonight, the ingredients for severe weather will thankfully not come together around here.  18 hour hi-res futurecast shows how things should evolve through midnight or so:Rain will continue for much of Thursday. Temperatures will fall and the breeze will make it feel even colder. A good day for a nap.Rainfall totals of up to 1 inch are quite possible.Rivers and streams are running high and we may see "the usual suspects" go above flood stage by Friday. Mahoning River at Leavittsburg, Eagle Creek in SW Trumbull County included. Current forecast does not show that but I suspect that will change.

THE STORY WITH THE SNOW

This system will deepen and slow down and this process will help it to "manufacture" it's own cold air. It will be cold enough for wet snow to start falling late Thursday night and throughout Friday. The IMPACTS from this snow will not be very high because of the warm ground and marginal air temperatures. Roads should be largely fine. But non-paved surfaces can pick up accumulation. Decks, car tops and of course the grass can all get covered fairly easily.

The highest impact for travelers will be reductions in visibility.

Snow accumulation on non-paved surfaces could be fairly impressive. Here's our current model spread:The odds of 1" or more look pretty high. European model odds:3" or more:I suspect we'll come out with a forecast of something like 1-3" of wet snow later today. Stay tuned. Thankfully the there is not much leafage on the trees just yet or we'd be more concerned with power outages as a result of sagging tree limbs. The gusty wind should also help keep the trees and power lines "cleaner" than if it were calm.Unusual for early April? Not really.Boy will it melt in a hurry! Muddy yards galore this weekend...otherwise, very nice weekend coming up.