CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Above average temperatures are in store for this winter season in West Virginia, according to National Weather Service Meteorologist Dylan Cooper.
“Looking at warmer than average conditions, precipitation may be a little bit above average as well,” Cooper said.
Wednesday marked the first day of winter.
Some areas of West Virginia will reach the 50’s and 60’s this week ahead of Christmas Day this Sunday. Rain will be mixed in with the next system, Cooper said.
That means no white Christmas, at least in West Virginia.
“Maybe a blue, rainy Christmas, but not a white one,” Cooper said.
According to the NWS, the last white Christmas in the Mountain State was in Elkins and Beckley in 2013. Snow also fell on Christmas Day in 2010.
The last few weeks, Cooper said, the state has seen cold temperatures in some spots. He said that will quickly change, at least for the next month or so.
This past fall, Cooper said the he Mountain State saw warmer than normal temperatures with little rain.
“A little bit more drought than we would normally be accustomed to seeing and hopefully that doesn’t carry through the winter season,” Cooper said.
Some things to look out for this time of year includes black ice and freezing temperatures. Cooper said it’s important to be prepared before heading out the door.
“Check the weather before you plan on traveling, both where you are and where your destination is, and if there is the potential for cold temperatures or any kind of frozen precipitation obviously then that’s something that you can then account for,” he said.