Midweek "mildness", then another snow storm?

The "mildness" in the blog post title is a relative term. Average Mecklenburg County daily highs and lows are 51º and 28º at this point in January. Thus, the forecast for Wednesday and Thursday of mid-30s highs followed by morning lows in the low teens seems like it should be labeled "frigid" instead. But wait 'til the weekend...

Today - Wednesday - will feature clearing skies as more cold and dry air pours in behind last night's weak cold front passage. The sunshine will help boost temperatures into the aforementioned mid-30s this afternoon, with only a light westerly breeze to stir the air. Clear skies, light winds, and the persistent wintry ground cover will help thermometers plunge into the low teens overnight.

Thursday's conditions will resemble a cut and paste of today's, with similar temperatures and clear skies. Then the weather will go from relatively "mild" to another chance of snow for the weekend. This setup will be different from the previous storm, with the precipitation looking to be all snow this time. Per the graphic this next winter storm will be a "Miller A" situation (vs. last week's "Miller B"):

At the moment snow looks likely to start late Friday afternoon, last all day Saturday, and end Sunday morning. Forecast snow totals will come into better focus later today as the numerical models (hopefully) zero in on the exact storm track. However, several inches of the white stuff are likely.

Keep the snow shovels handy!