Mother Nature clearly does not know what time of year it is! It is late-February and we have early-May warmth on our hands today! Temperatures will top out between 20-25° above normal, in the lower-70s! This is all thanks a southerly wind flow that will eventually shift northwesterly and will turn breezy behind the cold front this afternoon and evening.
We are keeping our eyes peeled on the complex storm system that will impact the region Thursday - Friday.
A disturbance in the upper-levels of the atmosphere will produce the first round of precipitation late Thursday morning into the early-afternoon hours. Temperature profiles near the surface will be hovering in the low to mid-30s, which may be cold enough for a mixture of sleet and snow to occur during this time period.
Surface temperatures will then continue to warm above freezing late Thursday afternoon, into the mid and upper-30s. Temperatures Thursday night will be around 3-8° above freezing 5,000 feet above the surface (850 mb) and will range in the low to mid-30s at the surface-level. This will support our second wave of moisture in the form of freezing rain and rain late Thursday night - Friday morning. The best timing for minor icing to occur will be during this time, especially to the north and west of the I-95 corridor. Ice accretion of a trace - .25" is possible. Given how warm temperatures have been over previous days, light freezing rain may have a hard time creating icy spots on roads.
By late-morning Friday, temperatures should be in the mid and upper-30s...any precipitation that forms should fall in the form of rain. The chance for rain showers lingers into the mid-afternoon hours and gusty winds will form in the wake of the cold front. Wind gusts up to 30-40 mph are possible Friday afternoon.
#StayTuned
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