A weak low pressure will spread a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain into the Hudson Valley by sunrise on Thursday. The storm will have limited moisture to work with. But a light wintry mix could create some big headaches for our Thursday morning commute.
Timing:
– 4am to 7am: Light snow could develop from SW to NE
– 7am to 10am: Snow… mixing with / changing to sleet
– 10am to 2pm: Light wintry mix tapers off to drizzle & freezing drizzle
Impacts:
– Temps in low to mid 20s, snow covered & icy roads
– Periods of light snow showers, mixing with (possibly changing to) sleet
– Sleet, mixing with freezing drizzle before ending
– Icy travel possible for Thu AM commute
Snow Accumulations:
– Entire Hudson Valley: A Coating to 2 inches possible
(with up to 0.10″ sleet & ice accretion possible on top)
Discussion:
The storm will move into our area late Wednesday night. Dry air over the Hudson Valley will combat the limited approaching precipitation late Wednesday night, which will potentially limit our snow accumulations. Light snow should develop between 4am and 7am, and cover the ground for the AM commute. Some milder air will move into the mid layers of the atmosphere… so periods of snow will begin to mix with sleet by mid morning on Thursday, The snow & ice mix will cause some icy travel conditions around the region.
By late morning, the back edge of the moisture is arriving, and the sleet could mix with freezing drizzle before ending around mid day. The total amount of moisture could range between 0.20″ and 0.50″ depending on the strength of the dry air in place. The less precipitation, the closer our snow accumulations will be to a coating. But either way, some slick travel conditions are possible Thursday morning… so you may wish to plan accordingly.
We’ll have some updates as the data becomes clearer later in the day on Wednesday…