Cold, milder, colder ...

Updated 7:30 am New Years Day to emphasize sleet. 

The title expresses the weather for the next week.  It is cold now and will stay that way through Saturday, then turn briefly milder Sun, but then even colder than we are now for next week.  Here are some details for ya:

1) Weekend storm will go to our west. Not surprising, but more phased than I thought. The cold air will be retreating, but the moisture will catch up to it before it leaves giving us a little snow, sleet and mostly a cold rain. 

• One note on this:  Cold air like this notoriously moves out more slowly than expected. Thus Sat will not be warm with temps near 40. I would expect temps to be near 32 most of the day. And slowly rise to 34-35 by Sun morning. 

2) Clouds from weekend storm roll in Friday night and precipitation in the form of light snow should start mid to late morning. It will change to sleet then a cold rain by late in the day/early evening.

• Some freezing rain is possible, but temps will be borderline to sustain freezing except on cold metal surfaces or trees.
• Do not expect much accumulation of snow either, a coating, but then a longer period of sleet due to the lower atmosphere being cold until late Sat afternoon. Accumulation with snow could be up to 1" 
  
• One fly in the ointment could be if heavy slug of precipitation comes in fast. IF that occurs the atmosphere will stay colder thus giving more snow and esp. sleet. I DOUBT IT WILL HAPPEN and am not forecasting it either. But it is enough of a slight chance that I need to mention it. 

3) Arctic front moves through Sun morning and temps at first jump into the 40s, but then fall in the afternoon as winds pick up out of the west. 

Next system to impact us will be Tue-Wed. 

Happy New Year!!!