Snow, winter storm in Midwest could have impact in Augusta

As the midwest grapples with frigid temperatures and mountains of snow, Augusta residents could see some impact, experts say.

“It’s important for us to understand that the same storm system that brought all that snow, sleet, and ice to Missouri, brought the cold front through here yesterday,” said Frank Alsheimer, science and operations officer with the National Weather Service in Columbia, S.C. “It was kind of rainy yesterday. And it’s a lot colder this morning.

“So the tracking of that system had a direct impact on the weather here as well. So that’s why we really need to know a very broad area of what’s going on with the weather. We can’t just look out the window and say, ‘Oh that’s how it’s going to be.’”

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Midweek forecast:

Wednesday, High 49, Low 23

Thursday, High 45, Low 26

Friday, High 40, Low 33.

Friday also comes with a chance of showers after 1pm.

“It’s going to be chilly the next couple of days,” said Alsheimer. “Wednesday night, it could get down to 20s. Thursday will only be in the 40s. We have some precipitation moving in later on Friday. There’s a possibility that that could start as snow or even a little freezing rain, until it eventually changes to rain overnight, Friday night.”

When it comes to weather prediction, there are some things people may not know, said Alsheimer:

• Meteorologists have a strong background in science and math.

• Meteorology involves complex atmospheric physics, requiring a deep understanding of calculus and other mathematical concepts to interpret weather data accurately.

• Meteorologists can specialize in various areas.

• Some meteorologists specialize in research, climate studies, aviation weather, or severe weather forecasting.

• Beyond traditional weather instruments, meteorologists rely on advanced tools like Doppler radar, satellite imagery, and supercomputers to analyze and predict weather patterns.

• During severe weather events, meteorologists provide critical information to emergency responders and the public to help them stay safe.

• Meteorologists face challenges with weather unpredictability. Even with advanced technology, forecasting can be complex due to the dynamic nature of the atmosphere, leading to occasional inaccuracies.

Alsheimer said the amount of precipitation will be about a quarter of an inch.

“The last time we had any kind of snow in the Augusta area was in January of 2022,” he said. “So that’s three years ago since we’ve had any kind of frozen precipitation. It’s very rare to get significant snow in the Augusta area. You could go back 100 years, and you would see that Augusta saw 6 inches of snow maybe five or six times.”

A couple of tidbits forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration what you to know:

• Severe or extreme weather can be caused or intensified by climate change, but other factors play a role, too.

• Snowstorms are about more than how much snow is likely to fall. The goal is to communicate impacts of weather, for instance how fast the snow is falling, how strong the winds are, what time of day it is, and if snow squalls and blizzard conditions might develop.

This reporting content is supported by a partnership with several funders and Journalism Funding Partners.

Erica Van Buren is the climate change reporter for The Augusta Chronicle, part of the USA TODAY Network. Connect with her at EVanBuren@gannett.com or on X: @EricaVanBuren32.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Frigid temperatures, precipitation on the horizon in Augusta

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