Snow to interrupt first weekend of spring in Appalachians, mid-Atlantic

Snow that buried parts of the Midwest will continue to spread to the border of Virginia and North Carolina into Saturday night.

Locally heavy snow is expected in southern West Virginia, southwestern Virginia and the northern mountains of North Carolina into Saturday night.

Travel along portions of interstates 64, 77, 79 and 81 in southern West Virginia and southwestern Virginia may become slushy and difficult.

"While light snow can have trouble sticking to roads from the late morning to the middle of the afternoon this time of year, roads can become slippery amid any heavy snowfall, or at night," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski said.

The cities of Huntington and Beckley, West Virginia, and Roanoke, Blacksburg and Lynchburg, Virginia, can expect wintry conditions for a time.

Snow will also develop farther east along the border of North Carolina and Virginia into Saturday night.

Before a changeover to snow, rain at the Martinsville Speedway, Virginia, caused NASCAR officials to halt the Camping World Truck Series race on Saturday afternoon.

Since the snow is likely to fall at night in this zone, when road surfaces will cool, motorists should expect slushy and slippery conditions. Such conditions are expected mainly north of I-40 in North Carolina.

People heading out to church services early Palm Sunday morning should be on the lookout for slick travel.

Accumulating snow is not expected north of I-64 in Virginia, which is good news for the storm-weary Northeast.

Meanwhile, in Raleigh, North Carolina, a cold rain is in store. However, some sleet and wet snow may mix in at times.

The storm will have ended in time for the Monster Energy NASCAR race at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, but fans should be prepared for cold conditions with temperatures no higher than the middle 40s F.

A few hundred miles farther to the north of the storm, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and New York City can expect mainly dry weather this weekend.

A weak disturbance not associated with the storm may bring snow showers and slick travel to parts of New England during Saturday night and early Sunday.

A few snow showers could extend southward along the mid-Atlantic coast, but will likely be spotty in nature.

Much of next week is likely to be free of major storms from the Appalachians to the Atlantic coast. At least a few sunny days are in store, which will melt much of the snow that recently fell.

"It will finally feel like spring as the week progresses and temperatures rebound," Pydynowski said.

AccuWeather meteorologists are monitoring the potential for the return of stormy conditions beginning during the Easter Sunday weekend.

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