Let it snow? Heck no

A quick stroll through your favorite social media platforms will bring you all kinds of weather predictions.

Especially when a system like tomorrow’s coastal low that is forecast to bring cold, wet – and in some locations – snow.

Seems like a chance, ever so slight, is worth spreading a little fear.

Trouble is, a vast majority of these posters look at the National Weather Service forecast and don’t take into account that the Wakefield office predicts a lot of locations that aren’t yours.

So, in its Thursday morning briefing, the NWS tried to set the record straight.

Yes, such forecasts often change during coastal lows. So just who gets what is highly depending on just where the system goes. As of Thursday morning, the low was forming along the west side of Florida in the northeast corner of the Gulf of America.

To put it simply, if the system heads more inland, North Carolina and Virginia will see less of the frozen stuff except for the mountain ranges.

Now if the low heads more out to sea, it will draw colder air closer to the coast and turn that rain into a white slippery mess.

And forecasts as of Thursday already had a wintery mix knocking on the coast’s door.

So what did the folks in Wakefield have to say?

In a nutshell, if you’re looking to travel out west, don’t.

If you’re traveling throughout southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina, you’ll be fine as long as you don’t mind driving in cold rain.

Temperatures along the coast are expected to stay above freezing throughout Thursday night and all day Friday.

But things get a bit dicey west past Suffolk and Emporia, and really nasty west of I-95.

Snow chances increase the more west you head, with a worst-case scenario packing in about 3- to 4-inches of the frozen stuff. During the warmest portion of the day, freezing drizzle could start to fall.

And keep in mind, things could change slightly as the low moves into the states. But the folks in Wakefield have a high level of confidence in their forecast.