Bitter cold temperatures are making their way to Hampton Roads, bringing the potential for wintery precipitation.
Jeff Orrock, meteorologist-in-charge at the National Weather Service in Wakefield, said a cold front is moving into the area in the coming days, and people should be aware of the potential effects on travel.
“One of the things we’re going to be a little more concerned about is the fact that Friday night and Saturday morning does get pretty cold, and temperatures do get down into the mid 20s,” Orrock said. “So any surfaces that are wet, especially Saturday morning, are probably going to try to flash freeze on us a little bit. It could be kind of icy Saturday morning, if they don’t dry out fast enough, so that’s probably one of the things we’re going to have to watch out for.”
As the weekend progresses, Orrock said the chances for snow or freezing rain increase. Sunday night and the early hours of Monday will have the highest chances for winter weather. Current estimates show that there is between 5% and 20% chance that Hampton Roads will have “minor impacts” on driving conditions caused by winter weather. Areas toward Richmond and Northern Virginia will have stronger impacts and higher chances for snow accumulation.