“Get ready for Sunday” weather

Confidence grows on the part of forecasters that the storm headed east from Pacific Northwest and western Canada will affect much of South Carolina, especially Oconee County and the mountains; however, they are now less confident that it will be the big snowstorm speculated earlier.  Frank Straight at the South Carolina Climate Office in Columbia says Upstate snow lovers will see some snow.  Our latest forecast here at WGOG calls for snow and sleet early Sunday morning of between 1 and 3 inches.  Sunday portends to be a day for freezing rain and sleet and more snow after 3 o’clock in the afternoon.  Monday should be a sunny day without any more precipitation.  Besides freezing precipitation and the potential for power outages, wind strength could add to the difficulties.  Overnight Saturday winds could gust as high as 21 miles an hour and create breezy conditions on Sunday.  Severe weather specialist Strait says this about the winds:  “Winds will pick up as the storm departs, potentially gusting over 30 mph.  This would further stress trees and power lines covered with ice, where this occurs.  Finally, fresh arctic cold air will arrive behind the storm, and any wintry precipitation will melt snow early next week.  Areas that see significant snow and sleet cover, primarily the Upstate, will see a slow recovery of road conditions, particularly on the back roads that likely never see a plow or salt.  Monday is a holiday for many (but not those of us at WGOG), but there might be still icy roads in the Upstate, even on Tuesday.”