While we all wait on specifics regarding the potential for a weekend snow storm let us be reminded that: We all saw the same thing. Enough is enough! Today: Sunny skies during the morning hours will become overcast in the afternoon. Continued very cold. High 28F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Tonight: Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight.

With early morning wind chills in the single digits and many secondary roads still covered in ice most, if not all, school systems are observing another inclement weather day. There will be sunshine today, but temperatures are only expected to reach 30 degrees or so. Even then, this will be the warmest day of the week as cold Arctic air settles in place.

Now that the storm has passed the biggest concern for us over the days ahead will, at first, be the icy road conditions. On top of that we are not expecting temperatures to rise above the freezing mark for the remainder of January. Today: Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy this afternoon. High near 30F. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph…

The 5 AM radar image pictured above shows that overnight snow on Delmarva has arrived. Here at the Salisbury Weather (sbywx.blog) station there is an inch and a half of snow on the ground. The wake up temp was 18 degrees, just a degree higher than the overnight low of 17 degrees, as moderate snow continues to fall. The Winter Storm Watch continues through 7 PM on Monday.

Just trying to add a little levity to the situation. Now that the long talked about snow storm is just 6 to 7 hours away, it seems like a good time to nail down some specifics. Snow should develop in Salisbury before 2 AM. Snow is expected to fall throughout the night at a rather moderate rate, with occasional periods of heavy snowfall that could approach an inch per hour at times.

Salisbury is waking up to a cold Saturday at 13 degrees. Temperatures will not exceed the low to mid 20's today under increasingly cloudy skies. The Winter Storm Warning for the Eastern Shore indicates that snow will develop late today and continue into Sunday morning. Low temperatures will drop to about 18 degrees overnight meaning that snow will be dry, light, and fluffy.

Here is the official statement from the National Weather Service in Wakefield, VA. ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM SATURDAY TO 7 PM EST SUNDAY... * WHAT...Mixed precipitation expected. Total snow and sleet accumulations between 4 and 6 inches with up to one tenth of an inch of ice. Mixed precipitation will turn to rain by Sunday evening.

Little has changed in the past 24 hours regarding the impending winter weather event. It was reported here at Salisbury Weather (sbywx.blog) that the Salisbury area could expect to wake up to about 6 inches of snow on Sunday morning and, as of this morning, we stand by that likelihood. The image at the top of this post from early this morning is the ECMWF model projections for snow depth at noon on Sunday.

For the past week social media has been buzzing with news of a big snowstorm on Delmarva. Now that we are about 60 hours out we are observing changes in the forecast models that are trending towards less snow and more ice. That is a potentially dangerous scenario. A few days back it appeared as though Delmarva was in the path of a large snowstorm.

We are now a bit more than 72 hours out from the arrival of a potentially crippling snow storm on Delmarva. Model runs over the past few days have rarely wavered over the probability that snowfall accumulations in "double digits" are not just probable, but likely on parts of the Shore. The graphic above indicates that our area has a near 90% chance of picking up 3 or more inches of snow.

Single digit wind chills this morning will be an indication that Delmarva is in for an uncomfortably cold Tuesday. High temperatures will struggle to reach 32 degrees today before tumbling again into the teens tonight. Wednesday will rebound toward more seasonable readings as our sunny skies will come with temps near 44 degrees. A brief warm up into the mid 50's is in store for Thursday under partly cloudy skies.

It is fair to assume that if Martin Luther King were alive today that he would be voicing his concerns regarding civic rights violations allegedly taking place in Minneapolis. One might wonder if he would accuse ICE agents of judging people on the color of their skin rather than the content of their character. Today, about 60 years after President Lyndon Johnson espoused King's teachings when signing historic civil rights legislation, the current US president seems to base all of his spontaneous actions on his inherent bigotry and self perceived privilege.

Our area remains under a Winter Weather Advisory issued by the National Weather Service for up to 2 inches of wet snow today. Temperatures in the upper 30's to near 40 degrees this morning will eventually fall late in the day when rain will have mixed with and likely changed to snow by evening. The feeling from here is that the official forecast is overly ambitious and that the Salisbury area will end up with a dusting to one half inch of snow by the end of the day.

The NWS has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for our area beginning at 10 AM Sunday through 10 PM Sunday. The official forecast is now calling for up to 2 inches of wet snow before it ends Sunday evening. The NWS indicates that accumulations have been trending up in recent model runs and hints at the possibility of issuing an advisory farther north.

Today is expected to be a cloudy day with temperatures reaching close to 48 degrees. It is possible that a few showers develop overnight and into early Sunday before a low pressure system forms off of the Carolina coast and begins to interact with colder air to the west. While areas south of Salisbury may well experience all rain the latest weather models are indicating that the Lower Eastern Shore can expect about an inch of snow, particularly later in the day on Sunday.

Many are waiting for the late weekend forecast to pan out regarding the chances of snow on the shore. Currently, there is no legitimate guidance to suggest significant accumulations in the Salisbury area. Today: Sunny. High 37F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Tonight: Partly cloudy skies early will become overcast later during the night. Low near 30F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Saturday: Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. High 48F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. 

Morning cloudiness will give way to mostly sunny skies for the afternoon, with windy and cold conditions. The mercury in the old thermometer may only reach about 38 degrees in the morning before falling to near 30 degrees in the afternoon. Friday figures to be just as cold with temps reaching about 37 degrees. After a brief single day warm up on Saturday where temps reach about 50 degrees another shot of cold air and possible wintry precipitation is in store for Sunday.

Today: A mix of clouds and sun in the morning followed by cloudy skies during the afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 53F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Tonight: Considerable cloudiness. Occasional rain showers later at night. Low 33F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Thursday: Some lingering morning flurries or snow showers. A few passing clouds, otherwise generally sunny. High 37F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph. 

Yesterday it looked like there would be a decent chance of some sort of snow event for Delmarva late Thursday, but recent models are indicating that the potential system is moving much faster and will, therefore, be weaker when it moves through the area. While chances still exist, they are tempered somewhat as a strong ridge of cold air builds to our north.

Our work week begins with seasonable temperatures near 45 degrees and plentiful sunshine. A nice little warm up will follow on Tuesday and Wednesday with temperatures rising up into the mid 50's under generally sunny skies. Thursday again cools off a bit with daytime temps reaching near a seasonable 44 degrees. This subtle roller coaster pattern with the temperatures tends to lull one to sleep, giving us a feeling that we have entered a rather typical and boring winter pattern.

After a few days of above average temperatures and even a day of much needed rain the Salisbury area will return to near seasonable conditions today and again tomorrow. Saturday rainfall in Salisbury was 1.09 inches. A few morning showers will transition into a partly cloudy afternoon with temperatures in the upper 40's. Monday should be spot on normal with sunny skies and a high of 45 degrees. 

What if everyday was 45 degrees? The next 18 days, from January 10 to January 27, represent historically the coldest period of time throughout the year in Salisbury, Maryland. That does not mean that colder days cannot obviously occur outside those dates, but it simply indicates that throughout our recorded weather history the average daytime high temperature on these dates is a consistent 45 degrees.

 A mild and mostly cloudy Friday afternoon in January with temperatures approaching 62 degrees or so will lead to the development of late showers. Overnight showers will transition into rainy periods throughout the day on Saturday and into Saturday night. A much needed rainfall, perhaps up to an inch, is likely across the area. Saturday's high will be in the upper 50's to near 60 degrees. Colder, but seasonable, air should arrive on Sunday under partly cloudy skies. Temps should reach 48 degrees.

 Afternoon high temperatures reached 63 degrees in Salisbury yesterday, giving us a respite from the extensive period of colder than average readings. It was quite obviously the warmest day of this young new year. Highs today will be about 5 degrees cooler than yesterday under a mix of sun and clouds. Even warmer air will return for Friday and our expected rainy Saturday. We are expecting a warm 63 degrees on Friday.

 Temperatures have been rising all across America since last weekend's US operation that nabbed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in the dead of night and escorted him out of the country on his way to stand trial in New York for drug charges. Polls indicate that a third of Americans are in full support of President Trump's actions while the remainder are in need of answers to questions that they have about the legal and ethical merits of such an operation.