Heavy, wet snow is falling in Columbia this morning and up to five inches of accumulation is expected; since road surfaces have warmed up in recent days, most of the buildup will occur on grass-covered surfaces. While the snowfall was beautiful in the glow of street lamps and headlights this morning, its high moisture content soaked my coat during the half-mile walk to work.
This latest winter storm, centered over Mississippi, is pulling a steady stream of Gulf moisture into the Ohio and mid-Mississippi Valleys, where surface air temperatures hover near 32 degrees F. As this moisture falls through the atmosphere, it freezes just enough to produce snow, leading to the slushy accumulation that has developed this morning; were colder air in place, the snow would have a drier consistency and potential snow depths would likely be reduced. Heavy, wet snowfalls are typical of early spring and late autumn, when winter's grip is less severe.
Over the next twenty four hours, our precipitation will abate as the storm moves to the east-northeast and strengthens off the North Carolina coast; sweeping Atlantic moisture above entrenched cold air, it is expected to produce near-record snowfalls across the Southern Appalachians and mid-Atlantic States.
