NORFOLK, Va. — The 13 News Now Weather Team has declared Thursday Night & Friday Morning as Weather Alert Days for gusty winds, and bitterly cold wind chills.
When:
A fast-moving clipper system will dive out of the Great Lakes region late Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
Thursday will start out as one of the 'mildest' days we've seen in a while. Southwest winds, which will already be quite breezy, are expected to propel temperatures into the upper 40s and lower 50s. By mid to late morning the cold front barrels in from the northwest.
Impact:
However, the associated cold front will deliver a significant impact in terms of plummeting temperatures, gusty winds and bitterly cold wind chills later Thursday into the morning hours on Friday.
It will be moisture-starved but there is a small chance we could squeeze out an isolated shower or perhaps even a few snowflakes in our far northern cities and counties. Winds abruptly shift from the southwest to northwest by lunchtime and temperatures will take a nosedive. From nearly 50 to start the day to 30s by sunset.
Winds will also get stronger, gusting as high as 40mph. This of course will create wind chill values well below freezing during the afternoon, overnight those values will likely end up in the teens. Despite plenty of sunshine in the forecast for Friday, it will be another unseasonably cold day, with highs struggling to make it into the lower 40s with breezy conditions persisting.
Need:
Cold weather attire, and possibly extra time for your morning commute.
Anyone going out on Friday, especially in the morning, will need to properly dress for the weather: jackets, gloves, thermal underpants, etc.
Plan ahead for possible frost. Frost could kill sensitive outdoor vegetation if left uncovered.
It's also possible that water in pipes could freeze, leading to expensive damages.
To prevent water lines in the home against walls that aren't well insulated, you can keep the doors open to other rooms and leave bathroom and kitchen cabinet doors open to let warmer air circulate around the plumbing.
You can also leave a trickle of water running in pipes that tend to freeze.