Living on the edge

The powerful winter storm that is developing off of the coast is preparing to move slowly up and off the Eastern seaboard during the weekend. It will be dumping heavy snow in areas to our south near the Outer Banks and Virginia Beach. Strong sustained winds will even bring blizzard conditions to some areas near the coast.

The big question, as it has been all week, is just how far north does it travel before it moves out to sea?

Somebody has to live on the northern edge, and it looks like the Salisbury area may just be it. What does that mean?

It means that somewhere, likely near the Route 50 corridor, will represent the drastic cutoff between moderate snowfall and nothing. It could be slightly north or, more likely, slightly to the south.

It is nearly impossible to predict exactly where the cutoff will occur, so residents of the Lower Shore should keep an eye on the ever evolving local forecasts and prepare for anything from nothing, to a dusting, to perhaps an inch or more of light snow beginning late today and continuing into Sunday morning,

If Salisbury gets any snow today it will likely be between 5 PM and midnight. Even a little flurry activity will reduce visibility since winds will be so strong.

If this observer was forced to choose between 0 and 1 inch of snow in Salisbury today, the choice would be 0. Here is what is likely by Sunday morning.