Streak of Snow Indianapolis to DC, Richmond

By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist

January 23,2013; 7:50PM,EST

A streak of snow is aiming from part of the Midwest to the southern mid-Atlantic coast and can bring enough snow to make for slippery travel during the middle of this week.
The band of snow is rather narrow, only about 100 miles wide. However, underneath this band is can snow at a moderate pace for a several-hour period. Within the band of snow, a coating to an inch or two can accumulate.
The snow streak and slippery travel will pass near or close to Lafayette and Indianapolis, Ind., and Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio, Wednesday.
Areas from Charleston and Morgantown, W.Va., will receive some snow late Wednesday into Wednesday night. Roads could get slippery for the evening drive.

Farther east, areas from Charlottesville and Richmond, Va., to Washington, D.C., Fredericksburg and Salisbury, Md., and Dover and Rehobeth Beach, Del., are forecast to have their snow later Wednesday night into Thursday morning. There is the potential for a slippery Thursday morning commute as a result.
Highways I-64 and I-70 will roughly be boundary for the narrow swath of snow.
During the warm months of the year, this setup can produce a narrow zone of heavy thunderstorms.

However, during the winter, in this particular situation, moisture is limited. Only a few hundredths of an inch can yield a couple of inches of dry, powdery snow.
With this weather pattern, you are either in or not in the band of snow. However, winds aloft can carry some of the snowflakes away from the clouds producing the event in the form of flurries or a light dusting.
As the streak of snow passes through the central Appalachians, the area of snow will widen temporarily, as the snow will have an easier time reaching the ground in the dry air due to the higher elevations.

Another swath of snow is coming at the end of the week for these an other areas. Snow and a wintry mix will reach farther into the Tennessee Valley and the South with the second storm.