Forecast Last Updated at Monday, December 9, 2013 at 9:07AM

Mild Monday; Colder Tuesday

After a Sunday of light rain and drizzle west and light freezing rain and freezing drizzle east, temperatures jumped quickly late Sunday night (18 degrees in 4 hours at my house between 1 AM and 5 AM). Temperatures today along the Blue Ridge (eastern edge of the Appalachians) will be more than 20 degrees warmer than Sunday. Monday has generally cloudy skies with a few light rain showers, mostly in the morning. We'll have a lull in the rain this afternoon and evening, then rain showers develop late tonight lasting into Tuesday morning. Much colder air arrives Tuesday, possibly changing the rain showers over to snow showers and flurries before ending Tuesday morning (no significant accumulation). Clouds decrease Tuesday afternoon and evening.

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Monday Hi: 55 Lo: 36 Cloudy; A few, mostly AM rain showers; Mild temps; Rain showers again late tonight; SW wind 5-10 mph (but gusting to 30 mph at higher elev's)

Tuesday Hi: 40 Lo: 24 Turning colder; AM rain changing ending as snow showers or flurries; Decreasing PM clouds; Wind becoming NW 15-25 mph with gusts to 50 mph Tue. night

Wednesday Hi: 44 Lo: 22 Mostly clear; Cool day; Turning colder at night; Light SW wind (gusty up top) becoming NW 10-20 mph at night with gusts to 40 mph

Thursday Hi: 36 Lo: 25 Mostly clear; Colder

Friday Hi: 45 Lo: 32 Mostly clear start; Increasing PM clouds; Chilly; Rain late Friday night (possibly beginning briefly with freezing rain)

Further Out

Saturday - Mostly cloudy; A few rain showers, possibly changing to show showers later Saturday night; High in the mid 40s; Low in the lower 30s
Sunday - Mostly cloudy; Turning colder; AM snow flurries possible; Bluestery; High in the upper 30s; Low in the lower 20s

Forecast Discussion

Sunday was indeed a story of west vs east in the weather. Temperatures warmed on the west side of the Appalachians Sunday afternoon but remained below freezing east. The limiting factor for freezing rain in the east was light precipitation--only patchy drizzle and light rain in the early morning and evening. Right along the Blue Ridge, .1"+ accretions of freezing rain were reported in NC from Blowing Rock to Laurel Springs with a bit more in Alleghany County and along the Blue Ridge into VA. A 20-degree jump in temperatures overnight wiped it all out quickly.

Today, we are in mild air with a front approaching from the west. Expect clouds and a few light showers mostly this morning. After a lull in precipitation in the afternoon and evening, another round of showers arrives late tonight as a low rides northeast along the front (that by then will be to our south and east).

Rain showers will linger into Tuesday morning with colder air quickly returning behind the low. Precipitation may end briefly as snow showers and flurries Tuesday morning (no significant accumulation). Temperatures will fall for much of the day Tuesday, and clouds decrease in the afternoon/evening.

Wednesday will be chilly; however, even colder air arrives Wednesday night. Thursday will be the coldest day of the week.

Temperatures moderate somewhat Friday. Low pressure from the southwest approaches Friday increasing clouds in the afternoon/evening. Expect rain showers late Friday night possibly beginning as a brief wintry mix. Rain showers continue into Saturday.

Colder air returns again Sunday with a few snow flurries possible.

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