The National Weather Service says snow is set to begin by mid-morning Friday in the Mountain State and stick around for most of the day.
The NWS has most of the state under a winter weather advisory beginning Friday morning with 2 to 5 inches forecasted for the lowlands and as much as 4 to 8 inches of snow in the higher mountains to the east. The accumulation forecast is a little less in Morgantown and the northern panhandle areas at 1 to 3 inches.
NWS Meteorologist Tom Mazza says the west to east moving system is larger than the snow that hit parts of the state Wednesday and Thursday but not as intense or focused.
Cold air from the west will meet up with moisture from the south near the end of morning rush hours for western areas like Huntington and Parkersburg. Mazza says Charleston should see snow by 10 a.m. and the rest of the state by midday or early afternoon.
Mazza says it’s about an eight-hour event for most areas.
“If you live say between Huntington and Charleston it will start snowing when you get to work and it will quit as you leave the office.”
Mazza adds the storm may linger in the eastern mountains Friday night piling up the accumulation.
The snow will begin dry and fluffy but turn more to heavy and wet as the upper air warms during the process of the storm.
Sleet and freezing rain are possible in the extreme southwest portion of the state.