DELMARVA -- It’s Groundhog Day, and Punxsutawney Phil is calling for six more weeks of winter—but the COASTTV First Alert Weather team is already ahead of him, tracking more arctic air for Delmarva even after a short-lived warm-up.
Mostly sunny skies for our Monday, winds will gust to 25 mph out of the northwest early this afternoon.
Delmarva starts the first full week of February under mostly sunny skies, and while it stays cold, we finally get a small win: highs reach the freezing mark for the first time in about a week. A brisk northwest wind will be the main nuisance early, with gusts up to 25 mph, before winds ease later this afternoon and evening.
Skies stay mainly clear tonight and the cold settles back in. Overnight lows drop to 13 to 20 degrees, setting up another frosty start Tuesday morning.
Getting at or slightly above freezing today, mildest day of the week will be Tuesday as temperatures approach 40 degrees.
Tuesday pressure sets up off the coast of the Southeast U.S., and that return flow helps temperatures climb—relatively speaking. Expect a mix of sun and clouds with highs in the upper 30s to near 40/low 40s. It’ll feel noticeably better than today, but winter is far from done.
A clipper system will bring a chance for some light rain and snow overnight Tuesday-Wednesday morning.
The first in a series of clipper systems slides through overnight Tuesday-early Wednesday morning. This one is moisture-starved, but it could still squeeze out light snow, especially across northern parts of Delmarva. Most areas would see a coating to around an inch, this won't be a big storm system.
Clipper system could bring a brush of snow early Wednesday morning, coating to an inch possible.
Behind that clipper, we turn dry and cold again Wednesday and Thursday. Skies trend quieter, but don’t let the calmer look fool you—winter air stays in control.
Friday is a dry cold day with increasing clouds as another clipper is on deck. This second system could bring another light round of snow Friday night, though exact timing and amounts will depend on how much moisture it can pull in as it passes.
After that, another shot of arctic air pushing back into Delmarva for Super Bowl Weekend. That means highs falling back into the 20s, with overnight lows dipping into the single digits in the coldest spots.