Kevin Myatt is The Roanoke Times' weather columnist.

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In many recent winters, it has seemed that the atmospheric pattern does whatever it possibly can so that it won't snow.

This winter, it seems to do whatever it can to make sure it snows, and snows big.

Between Wednesday and Thursday, subtle changes on the forecast map increased the expected amounts of snow for much of Southwest Virginia in the winter storm that will probably be under way by the time you read this.

For one, a very strong low in the Atlantic -- the same one that gave us a bit of snow Tuesday before exploding off the coast -- and a swirl of extremely cold air in southeast Canada called the polar vortex have nudged the new storm system's expected path slightly southward.

Secondly, instead of one strong low inland transferring energy to a second low off the East Coast, it appears the system that will become the coastal low will take over more quickly. The inland low will be much weaker, or perhaps wash out entirely.

The net result is colder air being pulled southward and held in place, with a weaker flow of warmer air on top of the cold. That means more snow, less sleet and freezing rain.

There may well be some glazing or bouncy sleet late today, but not before several hours of heavy snow that could eventually push accumulations to a foot or more from Roanoke northward. There will be more ice the closer you are to the North Carolina border, but still several inches of snow and sleet.

It may snow again on Tuesday.

Weather Journal runs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.