The possibility of snow this week has been all the buzz on Facebook and on the news over the past day or two. Kids across the area have been keeping an eye on WSET.com for updates, hoping for a snow day this week.
On Wednesday afternoon, WSET updated the amount of snow anticipated for some of the viewing area. The newest update shows 3-6 inches of snow possible in the western part of the state, 1-3 inches of snow from Farmville east and 2-4 inches of snow in the center of the state, including Lynchburg.
This is a slight change upward from the forecast earlier in the week. This may be the same storm system that hit the Memphis area on Tuesday night, bringing ice and sleet.
The National Weather Service in Blacksburg shows the Blue Ridge Mountains as the dividing point between areas including Roanoke, which are under a winter weather warning and Lynchburg, which is under a winter weather advisory.
The National Weather Service's figures show slightly higher snowfall amounts with 4-8 inches in the western part of the state and 2-5 inches east of the Blue Ridge. Both the warning and advisory are in place from noon on Thursday until 1 a.m. on Friday, with heavy snow at times.
If the forecast holds true, parents should plan ahead for a snow day on Friday. Students in some school systems, including Campbell County, are already out of school on Friday for Lee-Jackson Day. However, students in Lynchburg are scheduled to attend on Friday.
The timing of the snowfall may mean early dismissal on Thursday in some school systems. Area parents should have a backup plan for Thursday, just in case.
Kids throughout the state are excited about the possibility of accumulating snow and a chance to use the sleds many received for Christmas. Their minds wander to thoughts of sledding, building snowmen, snowtubing, snowboarding, snowball fights and building snow forts.
Parents are less excited by the prospect of driving in the snow, shoveling the sidewalk and finding day care for the kids. All of you stay-at-home grandparents, be ready for the phone calls on Thursday.
If you were planning to stop at Kroger on the way home from work on Wednesday, you may want to reconsider. The parking lot is already filling up with the news of the anticipated snow.
If all you need is milk, bread and eggs, you may want to stop at a convenience store or pharmacy instead. The lines are much shorter, even if you will have to pay a little more.
If your office takes part in a snowfall pool to guess how much show we will receive, I'd play it safe and go for 3.5 inches.
The first snow of the season hit the East Coast much earlier than normal this year, creating a white Halloween for some kids in the Northeast. Hopefully Mother Nature will go easy on us this time, but the Northeast may be hit even harder than the Mid-Atlantic.
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