CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia is in for a cold and windy Saturday night.
As of Saturday morning, the National Weather Service had issued Freeze Warnings, beginning late Saturday night, for more than 30 counties.
Temperatures were expected to fall into the 20s and lower 30s in those areas.
The county Freeze Warning list included Wayne, Cabell, Mason, Jackson, Wood, Pleasants, Tyler, Lincoln, Putnam, Kanawha, Roane, Wirt, Calhoun, Ritchie, Doddridge, Mingo, Logan, Boone, Clay, Braxton, Gilmer, Lewis, Harrison, McDowell, Wyoming, Taylor, Upshur, Barbour, Morgan, Berkeley and Jefferson.
Freezing temperatures, meteorologists said, had the potential to damage any sensitive early spring vegetation if the vegetation was not protected overnight.
High winds could also cause problems in parts of the state.
Beginning Saturday night and continuing through much of Sunday morning, High Wind Warnings were posted for the following counties: eastern Monongalia, Preston, Tucker, western Grant, western Mineral, western Pendleton, Pocahontas, Randolph, Mercer, Summers, Monroe and Greenbrier.
A High Wind Warning is an indication that wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour are possible. The strongest gusts were expected late Saturday into early Sunday.
For those areas, the NWS issued the following warning: “Some trees may fall creating scattered power hits or outages. Some property damage is possible in the highest gusts. Avoid parking vehicles near trees that are susceptible to high winds. Traveling is discouraged tonight (Saturday) as the combination of high winds and snow showers will reduce visibilities and make for hazardous driving conditions.”
Forecasters said the cold front could put down rain that would turn to snow in some areas.
On Saturday night, “minor” snow accumulations were possible in the central and northern West Virginia mountains.
Outside of those areas, Wind Advisories were posted for the rest of West Virginia from Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning with the strongest gusts, possibly 45 miles per hour or more, expected Saturday night.
The cooler than normal weather pattern will continue into the new week, according to meteorologists with the National Weather Service.