WPSD Local 6 has issued a Weather Authority Alert for Sunday because of the potential for a wintry mix that could cause travel impacts for portions of our area.
WHEN: Precipitation will begin early Sunday morning, likely becoming heaviest during the midday and afternoon hours. Precipitation will wind down by late Sunday night.
WHERE: Right now, areas of Southern IL & Southeast MO are most likely to experience impacts, as well as a few KY counties close to the Ohio River in the Pennyrile region.
WHAT: Most forecast data shows the greatest chance for accumulating snow to remain north of our area. There may be a zone of a few inches of snow near I-64 in Southern IL. The greatest concern is for a zone of sleet and/or freezing rain somewhere from near the Ohio River north into IL & MO. How much icing occurs will depend on how much of the precipitation falls as sleet vs freezing rain. If the majority falls as freezing rain, some areas could receive up to 0.5” of ice, which would create dangerous travel and could possibly result in at least some scattered power outages. Farther south, current data shows temperatures warming above freezing over much of Western KY, Northwest TN, and the MO Bootheel. This would keep precipitation as mainly rain, limiting winter weather impacts. However, temperatures will drop below freezing by Sunday night, with a period of light snow possible on the tail end of this system. Accumulation will be light (less than 1/2”), but could result in some slippery spots developing.
Some adjustments to the forecast may be expected as better data becomes available as the storm approaches. It is also important to remember that following this system we will have the coldest air of the season in place next week. Temperatures will likely remain below freezing from Sunday night through the following Saturday. Thankfully models have backed off a bit on the extreme wind chills that were showing up a few days ago, but the extended cold will still post risks for folks without access to adequate heating as well as pets and livestock.
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