Weather

Arctic air is headed south for the weekend, but it will be short-lived. Chances for significant snow look slim for Southwest and Southside Virginia in the next few days with a milder pattern likely resuming afterward.

The persistent southeast U.S. ridge of the La Niña atmospheric pattern has swatted cold air masses and winter storm systems away since Christmas. There might be at least a temporary change as the rodent rises next week.

Enough colder air has returned for some sleet and freezing rain mainly in western Virginia on Sunday morning, with snow showers possible in the mountains on Monday.

It’s another unseasonably mild week with no hint of wintry weather in Southwest and Southside Virginia. But colder air arriving next week might set up a little differently than it has so far this season.

Upslope northwest flow over the mountains is expected to bring 1 to 3 inches of snow to the Southwest corner as a quick cold shot arrives for the weekend.

After a frigid Christmas weekend, we can’t really say winter hasn’t bothered showing up. But significant snowfall has been a no-show, so far. It’s still early, though, and a lot of different things can happen.

The year just past brought destructive flooding, wintry wallops and wild winds. It also brought the debut of the Cardinal Weather newsletter and weekly weather column.

Christmas Eve proved to be the coldest in a generation for Southwest and Southside Virginia, but our temperature rollercoaster may reach the 60s as the new year begins.

Air originating from the coldest part of the Arctic Circle will roar in on Friday, with plummeting temperatures all day, tree-bending wind gusts and perhaps brief sideways snow.

Some Virginia stations may see the coldest Christmas since the 1980s, a sharp contrast with last year’s record Christmas warmth. Snow cover probably won’t be widespread, though.