WEST VIRGINIA (WCHS) — TUESDAY EVENING UPDATE:

Snow is tracking across the western half of Kentucky on Tuesday evening and is slated to move into our area around midnight into the overnight.

We expect about 1-2 inches of snow on the ground by 7 a.m. for the Huntington/Charleston corridor with slick travel. Further south, 2-4 inches will have fallen.

Already a number of schools have either closed or delayed for Tuesday so make sure to check our website for updates

Snow will continue to fall Wednesday, although we still expect a sharp northern edge. This still appears to setup somewhere between Route 33 and Route 50 where little to no snow will fall due to the deeper moisture holding south and very dry air in place at the surface.

We're still looking at about 2-4 inches along the Huntington/Charleston corridor through Wednesday evening when we get that break. Charleston could see a bit more than 4 inches (right on the line of heavier snow) and areas to the south should get 4-6 inches with some locations measuring up to 8 inches.

And this is just the first part of this system.

Snow will taper down mid-late afternoon from west to east, but the lull will be short-lived. Expect snow to increase again by late evening Wednesday into Thursday morning with the upper level energy of this system passing overhead. This could produce a quick burst of 1-2 inches overnight.

After another lull Thursday morning, snow bands will setup with a northwest flow. Winds will be gusty Thursday, up to 30-35 mph at times, and that will put wind chills down around 10 degrees as air temperatures hold in the 20s.

While snow will be less widespread than Wednesday it can produce localized bursts of snow through the afternoon and into the night. In fact, this setup could last into midday Friday before trailing off once high pressure builds in.

We still think this setup ultimately produces about 6-12 inches total from tonight to Friday for the southern and eastern viewing area, but even areas up north that miss out on snow Wednesday will end up with a few inches on the ground when all is said and done.

MONDAY EVENING UPDATE:

Snow is still on track for our area Tuesday night into Friday.

This snow will come in several rounds, the first developing Tuesday evening across southern Kentucky and West Virginia before spreading north overnight.

Even during the day Tuesday, I wouldn't be surprised for some light snow to break out, especially in Kentucky, with a coating possible before sundown.

The heaviest snow will pick up after sundown in the south as a low pressure system tracks across Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina.

Forecast models today have trended a bit further south with the low track and that will be a key factor in how much our area receives, at least from Tuesday night into Wednesday afternoon.

There will be a sharp northern cutoff to the snow, and I suspect somewhere between Route 33 and Route 50 little to no snow falls during the day. However, several inches of snow are likely across the coalfields, unfortunately impacting many of the areas hardest hit by the recent flooding.

The Huntington and Charleston areas will see some snow accumulation Wednesday morning before snow moves out of the region later in the afternoon.

Charleston, especially, may be on the edge of the heavier snow given the current setup. The difference in snow amounts from Sissonville to Cabin Creek could be several inches.

This is what we're calling Round 1 of the snow, and keep in mind these totals are dependent on the low track -- a shift north or south will shift these snow totals north or south.

After a break later Wednesday as that system moves off the coast, an upper level system will move in from the northwest.

Snow will increase again overnight into Thursday morning, and this time northern areas will get in on the snow as well.

Once that system moves east a northwest flow setting up will bring down moisture off the Great Lakes and develop some snow bands around here.

With the air so cold this will be a fluffy kind of snow that can overachieve. I think these snow bands can last into Friday morning before ending in the afternoon.

When you add it all up Tuesday night to Friday morning, here's what we expect. Remember this comes over 60 hours with some lulls in between, not all at once.

Greatest travel hazards Wednesday will be in the southern Viewing area, but just about anyone can encounter slick travel Thursday into Friday, which will likely result in many school cancellations through the week.

SUNDAY EVENIG UPDATE:

After major flooding, high winds, a switch from rain to snow and a sharp temperature drop Sunday it doesn't look like we'll get much of a break before our next big event.

An area of low pressure tracking out of the Rockies will drop to the Gulf and then head east Wednesday into Thursday. Instead of rain this one will bring our area snow as cold air that has arrived Sunday will be firmly entrenched for the rest of the week.

Snow looks to develop before dawn Wednesday for much of our area and fall steadily into the night before tapering off Thursday morning.

That means about a 24 hour period of continuous snow, although there may be a brief lull at some point as the surface low pressure system moves off the East Coast and an upper level system moves in.

This won't be like last week's snow, where temps were near 32 and we saw very wet snow and rain across the area. This time around the air will be cold enough for a fluffy snow, but that means that it can pile up pretty efficiently.

In addition, road temperatures will be colder this time around, so instead of wet, slushy roads like last week we expect snow-covered roads pretty much all Wednesday and Thursday.

We think snow amounts will be impactful with this storm...although this will be over a 24 hour period. At least 2-4" seems highly likely just about everywhere...but higher amounts are definitely a realistic possibility, especially north and east.

Expect an impactful event that will likely keep kids out of school and limit travel in our region. Because of those impacts we're issuing a Weather Alert for the Wednesday/Thursday timeframe.