Kevin Myatt is The Roanoke Times' weather columnist.

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Yes, it can still snow in Southwest Virginia.

As of this writing Sunday evening, I do not know yet whether overnight snow will add enough accumulation to rate this as a genuine "snowstorm," or if Sunday afternoon's impressive snow burst that dumped 2 to 5 inches in less than 4 hours in many locations will end up being the bulk of what falls.

A coastal surface and strong upper-level low inland were moving in tandem overnight up the Eastern Seaboard. It is a typical winter storm setup for the East Coast, but one that hasn't really happened at all this winter this far south.

The 1.5 inches that had fallen officially in Roanoke by 5 p.m. (yes, many of you in the Roanoke Valley got more than that) was the first snowfall of an inch or more this season in the Star City -- and the first since Jan. 17, 2008.

It was not the latest date for a first significant snow in a winter season, though -- that happened on March 9, 1976.

Sunday's snow through 5 p.m. brought Roanoke's seasonal total into a tie with 1975-76 for least snowy winter on record at 2.3 inches. It would take only one-tenth of an inch more overnight to dodge the record for snow scarcity.

While any snow should end this morning, the system is expected to whip cold north winds into the area for a couple of days, temporarily delaying the move to milder weather.

But by week's end, with highs again topping 60, Sunday's snow will be a slushy memory.