Hopefully, Old Man Winter will finally realize that the calendar has changed to Spring.

Despite today’s (Tuesday) official arrival of the vernal equinox (better known as Spring), the winter season refuses to yield the meteorological right-of-way. In what has been a rough winter by northeastern North Carolina standards – to include record-setting cold (-7 degrees) in January and a pair of measurable snow events – there remains at least one more breath of cold air to endure.

And wouldn’t you know it after the Roanoke-Chowan region experienced a round of thunderstorms early this past Sunday morning, a chance of light snow is in our immediate forecast.

On Monday, the National Weather Service Office in Wakefield, VA was tracking a pair of low pressure systems. The first was expected to pass through the state later on Monday and into the early stages of Tuesday, bringing with it an increased chance of rain, and perhaps even a rumble or two of thunder. Tuesday’s high will be in the mid 50’s with rainfall amounts between one-half to one inch.

Tonight’s temperature will hover in the mid-30’s with more rain expected.

A second low pressure system will bring a chance of rain mixed with snow on Wednesday. That second area of low pressure will then intensify and track off the Northeast seaboard Wednesday into Thursday, in response to energy rippling through a sharp, southward plunge of the jet stream, bringing a wave of cold air with it.

Here in the Roanoke-Chowan area, Wednesday’s forecast calls for rain likely before 9 a.m. then the possibility of rain mixing with snow until 3 p.m. with a high in the upper 30’s.

Look for that wintry mix to continue into Wednesday night, but with little or no accumulation.

The rest of the workweek looks fine, with partly sunny skies on Thursday and Friday. Highs during that time frame are expected near 50 with overnight lows in the mid 30’s.