SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — It has been cold across the Southeast over the past few days, and this cold air will persist through the end of the workweek. With temperatures 10 to 20 degrees below average and a storm system on the way, portions of the Southeast may experience a wintry mess.
A major question with this storm is which areas will experience only rain and which areas will see a wintry mix of snow. The latest model guidance shows better agreement as to where this rain and snow line will set up.
For us in the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry though, we will likely see all rain. The further north you go into Georgia and South Carolina, things start to change, especially in the Appalachian Mountains.
To snow or not to snow: End of this week compared to 2018 snowstorm
So what needs to happen for different precipitation types to form? Let’s start with rain. Up in the clouds, the air is below 32 degrees, which is cold enough to have frozen water drops or snow. As these flakes fall and encounter a warm layer of air that is above 32 degrees, the snow melts into a raindrop. With this warm layer of air extending to the surface, anything that falls out of the clouds will reach the ground as rain.