Arctic Front to Bring Light Snow, Snow Squalls, Strong Winds, And Dangerous Wind Chills to Delmarva

A sharp arctic cold front is expected to move across the Delmarva Peninsula late Friday into early Saturday, bringing a brief period of snow followed by very strong winds and sharply colder air. Not to mention dangerous winds chills. The system is tied to a fast-moving clipper tracking across southern Canada. Ahead of it, a […]

A sharp arctic cold front is expected to move across the Delmarva Peninsula late Friday into early Saturday, bringing a brief period of snow followed by very strong winds and sharply colder air. Not to mention dangerous winds chills.

The system is tied to a fast-moving clipper tracking across southern Canada. Ahead of it, a warm front will lift through the region during the day Friday. This will be followed by a much stronger cold front Friday night into Saturday morning, accompanied by strong energy in the upper atmosphere.

We are monitoring the potential for two separate rounds of snow.

The first round is expected during the day Friday as light precipitation develops ahead of the warm front. Snow amounts with this initial round should be minor, with most locations across Delaware, eastern Maryland, and the Lower Eastern Shore seeing a quick coating up to around a half inch.

The second round will arrive with the arctic cold front late Friday night into early Saturday morning. This is when conditions could become more hazardous. Brief but intense snow showers or snow squalls are possible as the front moves through. While confidence in exact placement and intensity is still limited, the atmospheric setup supports the potential for quick bursts of snow, rapidly reduced visibility, and sudden wind gusts. Confidence in snow squall development will increase over the next one to two days as higher-resolution models come into range.

Once the cold front clears the region around daybreak Saturday, conditions will turn sharply colder and much windier. Northwest winds are expected to strengthen quickly, with gusts of 40 to 50 mph possible across much of Delmarva. Strongest winds are likely Saturday afternoon and evening, particularly in open areas and near the coast, before gradually easing overnight.

We are getting concerned of again widespread below zero wind chills during the day on Saturday and into the overnight hours. Model guidance continues to drive in wind chills down in the rand of -5F to even -15F across the northern tier. Creating frost bite conditions throughout the region