CHARLESTON, W.Va. — With many people preparing to travel ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, snow was in the Wednesday forecast for parts of West Virginia — largely the eastern counties.
“In the wee hours of the morning (Wednesday), the snow moves in and continues throughout the morning hours and then tapers off right around noon (in most places),” said Tom Mazza, meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
The precipitation in the lower elevations, courtesy of a storm moving up the East Coast, would largely be limited to rain. The heaviest snow, according to Mazza, would fall at elevations above 2,700 feet on Wednesday morning.
“It’ll be kind of a wet snow, maybe even mixed with rain at the end,” he said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the National Weather Service had issued a Winter Weather Advisory for eastern Greenbrier County, Mercer County, Summers County and Monroe County starting at 9 p.m. Tuesday and continuing through the day Wednesday.
According to the forecast, one to four inches of snow were possible in the highest elevations there.
A Winter Storm Watch was in effect from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday for Randolph County and Pocahontas County where four to six inches of snow were possible.
Also for Wednesday, a Winter Storm Warning was issued for western Greenbrier County along with Hampshire, Morgan, Berkeley, Jefferson, Hardy, Grant, Mineral and Pendleton counties. Meteorologists said three to six inches of snow were possible below 1,500 feet with six to ten inches a possibility above that mark.
Travel could be hampered on Wednesday along parts of Interstate 68 and Interstate 77 in the watch and warning areas.
“Especially with the holiday travel, it does warrant concern,” Mazza said of the storm on Tuesday’s MetroNews “Talkline.”