Published: January 12, 2009 10:48 pm      

Frigid weather on the way to area

By the end of this week, you may see people wearing heavy coats, hoods and ski masks — who are NOT robbers.

Meteorologists are predicting southern West Virginia will be frozen solid by the week’s end, with temperatures only reaching the single digits.

“Cold air will be coming — with a vengeance,” said Alan Rezek, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Charleston. “People will be dressing like Eskimos. Break out the fur, animal skins and hoods and keep yourselves nice and warm. It’s going to be a three-dog night.”

Rezek explained that the jet stream, the “highway” on which weather systems move cross-country, will turn “straight north” and bring down cold air from northern Canada. By Thursday night, low temperatures will be five degrees. Friday highs will only reach 12 degrees — and temperatures will plunge to 1 degree overnight.

“We could have negative numbers in the mountains,” he said. “The apparent temperature — how it really feels — could be around 0, -1 or -2 Friday. In Snowshoe, it is supposed to feel like -15.”

Two low pressure systems will bring in snow Tuesday, then again Wednesday night through Thursday, Rezek said. Accumulations, however, will be light. Each storm system is expected to dump one inch of snow. The cold air that will follow is a dry, northern, high-pressure system that should not bring any snow or high winds, which would aggravate the situation.

None of the blizzards presently striking the upper Midwest should affect this region, Rezek said.

“We’re not talking blizzards. It’s just going to be darn cold,” he said.

Temperatures will become “more sane” by the weekend, Rezek said. Saturday’s high temperatures should reach the 20s. Sunday, high temperatures will be in the upper 20s, maybe approaching 30.

— E-mail: apridemore@register-herald.com