Stay home! Significant ice accumulations from freezing rain, sleet possible today

Ice and winter storm warnings have been posted for areas along and east of the Blue Ridge Parkway

ROANOKE, Va. – Although we still have winter weather alerts in effect until tomorrow morning, the heaviest precipitation has moved out.

Watch the video below for Jeff’s 9:25 p.m. forecast update

Weather with Jeff - Feb. 13, 2021

Most of the precipitation is gone however the temperatures tonight has the potential for refreezing. Jeff has the latest on that and when we'll see more wintry weather.

Posted by WSLS 10 / WSLS.com on Saturday, February 13, 2021

Watch the video below for Jeff’s 4:50 p.m. forecast update


Watch the video below for Chris’ 12:09 p.m. forecast update


Watch the video below for Chris and Justin’s 8:30 a.m. forecast update


Original Story

The weather is off to a rough start as we kick off the long holiday weekend.

A mix of freezing rain and sleet has been moving through Southside and the Lynchburg area for a few hours already. The wintry weather will get more widespread in the coming hours.

Ice and winter storm warnings are in effect along and east of the Blue Ridge Parkway. That’s where we’ll see the most significant ice accumulations and biggest impacts from this storm.

The situation won’t be as serious in Roanoke and areas north and west, but we’ll still be watching for the potential for slick roadways. Winter weather advisories have been posted in these areas.

Saturday's total ice accumulation (Copyright 2021 by WSLS 10 - All rights reserved.)

Any locations that pick up at least a quarter of an inch of ice will be at the most risk for power outages because of the extra weight ice adds to powerlines.

It’s a good idea to have candles, flashlights, extra blankets, warm clothing and other supplies, in case you do lose power.

Power outage threat Saturday and Saturday night (Copyright 2021 by WSLS 10 - All rights reserved.)

While the precipitation comes to an end this evening, the potential for slick spots continues into Sunday morning, due to temperatures at or below freezing.

We expect temperatures to warm up nicely on Valentine’s Day with highs in the 40s in the forecast. There could be a few light rain showers around for any date night plans you have.

Planning things out on Valentine's Day (Copyright 2021 by WSLS 10 - All rights reserved.)

The next opportunity for winter weather comes Monday night into Tuesday morning.

This looks like another event with borderline temperatures. Look for a wintry mix to start, but as temperatures warm up, we’ll see a transition over to rain before the precipitation ends around midday.

What we're tracking Tuesday 7 a.m. (Copyright 2021 by WSLS 10 - All rights reserved.)

We have a full dry day in the forecast for Wednesday, but more precipitation chances emerge by Thursday and Friday.


About the Authors:

Meteorologist Chris Michaels is an American Meteorological Society (AMS) Certified Broadcaster, forecasting weather conditions in southwest Virginia on WSLS 10 News from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. weekdays on Virginia Today.