CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia will see the first snow fall of 2017 Thursday into Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
On Wednesday, the NWS issued Winter Weather Advisories for 24 counties including: Wayne, Cabell, Mason, Jackson, Lincoln, Putnam, Kanawha, Roane, Wirt, Calhoun, Ritchie, Doddridge, Boone, Clay, Braxton, Gilmer, Lewis, Harrison, Taylor, Upshur, Barbour, Raleigh, Fayette and Nicholas.
Those advisories take effect at 9 a.m. Thursday through 6 a.m. Friday.
Mike Zwier, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Charleston, told MetroNews it will be a slow moving system that will only dump a few inches of snow in spots. He said the snow will arrive Thursday morning and continue through Friday morning.
“Initially, it’ll be fairly light, so just a dusting for a lot of places as we head through early afternoon (Thursday), but then the intetensity will pick up some as we head through the late afternoon and especially the evening and the overnight hours,” Zwier said.
The Charleston-Huntington area will be impacted the most, Zwier said.
“The heaviest span is probably going to fall somewhere from Huntington up towards Elkins, so that includes a lot of the I-64 corridor where we’re looking at anywhere from about 3 to 5 inches of snow,” he said.
Zwier said areas north and south of Interstate 64 will get less snow. Parksburg and Clarksburg could receive anywhere from 2-4 inches. The southern coalfields could see 2-3 inches of snow.
The snowfall will impact the Thursday evening commute home, so Zwier said it’s best to be prepared if you’re heading out the door.
“Plan accordingly and make sure that you allow yourself some extra time for that afternoon commute as there will likely be snow covered and slippery roads by Thursday afternoon as people are starting to head home,” he said.
Zwier said temperatures will fall throughout the day Thursday. He said afternoon highs will remain in the 20s and teens for most areas.
It’s going to stay cold this weekend, Zwier said.
“Highs on both Saturday and Sunday are only going to be in the mid-20s or even lower as you head up in the mountains. On Sunday, temperatures may not get above 10 degrees,” he said.