WINTRY WEATHER: Friday and Saturday are Alert Days for a potential wintry mix in the Midlands

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - We’re tracking another round of wintry weather on the way to the Midlands Friday into early Saturday.

Headlines:

• Friday and Saturday are Alert Days.
• We’re tracking the potential for a wintry mix to push into the Midlands by Friday through Saturday morning.
• The models are in more agreement for a freezing rain/sleet/snow mix in the area. But the main concerns will be freezing rain and ice.
• A Winter Storm Watch is in effect for the Midlands Thursday night through Saturday morning.
• Right now, this does not look like a snow-only event.

Weather Story:

Heads up! We’re tracking a chance for more wintry weather in the Midlands Friday and possibly into Saturday.

A Winter Storm Watch is in effect for the Midlands late Thursday night until Saturday morning.

Our forecast models are in better agreement bringing a wintry system to the Midlands Friday.  However, some of our forecast models are pushing some of this moisture a bit east for Friday.

For now, as we move through Friday, with a cold air mass in place at the surface and warmer air nudged in in the mid levels of the atmosphere, we’ll likely see rain changeover to a wintry mix of freezing rain and sleet early in the day into the afternoon. But most of the day Friday will feature freezing rain and the potential for ice to develop on power lines and trees, which could lead to some power outages in the Midlands and some travel concerns.

Our forecast models say that the sleet/freezing rain mix will likely changeover to potential wet snowflakes late Friday night into early Saturday morning, but that wet flakes would likely develop for parts of the Midlands. That means, everyone will NOT see snow in this event.  The chance of a wintry mix Friday is at 60%.

A few snow flurries are possible early Saturday morning. That chance is around 20%. Some slick spots are also possible early on.  By afternoon, high temperatures will be in the low 40s.

When we’re talking about potential ice accumulations, the central and eastern parts of the Midlands will likely see about a tenth up to a quarter of an inch of ice.

For snow, we’re not expecting much. But if we do see any snow, we would likely see about a trace up to a possible one-half inch on mainly grassy and elevated surfaces.

Let’s emphasize this again. This is mainly a freezing rain and ice event for the Midlands. This event is not a classic setup for a majority snow event for the Midlands or the Palmetto State. So, do not expect a lot of snow out of this event Friday/Saturday. It’s just not in the cards for us this time.

High temperatures will be in the 30s on Friday, then in the low 40s by Saturday.

Stay with your WIS First Alert Weather Team for constant weather updates.

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