West Virginia wakes up to damp pavement and a raw 42-degree chill, and drivers across Charleston are already navigating slick patches on bridges and shaded roads. Light rain showers are fading, but temperatures hovering near 30 degrees in outlying areas raise concern for refreezing as skies stay mostly cloudy.
According to the National Weather Service in Charleston, a 30 percent chance of rain lingers early today, with highs reaching only near 39 degrees. West winds stay light, but colder air settling in tonight will push lows down to 26 degrees, setting the stage for isolated icy spots by daybreak.
Across Kanawha County and much of the central Appalachians, post-frontal cold air continues to squeeze out snow showers in higher elevations. While Charleston remains mainly cloudy, communities along Route 60 and I-64 could see brief slick stretches early and again late tonight. Flash freezing becomes a concern this time of year when melting during the day refreezes after sunset. Slow down on overpasses and untreated secondary roads.
Conditions turn brighter Friday with sunshine and a high near 45 degrees. That improvement carries into Valentine’s Weekend, with Saturday climbing to 52 degrees under mostly sunny skies. A weak system brings a 30 to 50 percent rain chance late Saturday night into Sunday, but temperatures stay above freezing.
Looking ahead, early next week trends milder. Highs approach the upper 50s by Washington’s Birthday, and long-range signals point to temperatures running 10 to 20 degrees above average heading deeper into February. A broader warm-up may dominate much of the central U.S.
Five Day Outlook for Charleston, West Virginia:
Today: Mostly cloudy, high 39°F.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, low 26°F.
Friday: Sunny, high 45°F.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, high 52°F.
Sunday: 50% chance of rain, high 49°F.
