We’ll see freezing rain and sleet for most of us this AM with snow to the NW and cold rain to the SE.
The cold front that moved through yesterday has set the stage for a potent winter storm that moves into the region by today. Multiple areas of low pressure will impact the viewing area which brings wintry mixed precipitation that will eventually changeover to snow. We’ll see freezing rain and sleet for most of us this AM with snow to the NW and cold rain to the SE. Cold air continues to take over which will change that wintry mix to mainly snow by this evening. That snow will fall heavy at times overnight as the next area of low pressure slides through the Ozarks. We’ll start our Thursday off with moderate to heavy snow as that low departs.
Another piece of upper-level energy moves through the region late in the day which keeps the light snow showers and flurries around Thursday night into early Friday. This storm system will bring big impacts to the area with travel becoming really tough by late tonight into Thursday.
Conditions will likely be treacherous throughout the day on Thursday so please be prepared to not travel. Winter Storm Warnings are in effect throughout Ozarks, including Springfield through midnight Friday. Snowfall accumulation north of town could rise close to a foot with amounts in Central Missouri higher than that. S
nowfall could top out between 8-10″ in the metro but under that we’ll likely have freezing rain and some sleet accumulation. There could be some localized spots that pick up to a foot. Higher amounts of ice and sleet are in store the farther south and east you trek which cuts down on snowfall amounts. 3-6″ is a good bet for those spots. Ice accumulations could stack up over half an inch across parts of Arkansas which could make for possible power outages. Please stay tuned as changes minor changes are still a possibility.
The track of the low plays a big role in precipitation types and changeover times. Arctic air settles Thursday into Friday with highs in the 20s and lows in the single digits. High pressure builds in late Friday and that will bring a return the sunshine on Saturday with highs warming back into the 30s. Sunday is looking even warmer but we’ll see a few more clouds as a weak front looks to slide through the area. The cold front knocks our temps back from the 40s to the 30s on Monday under lots of sunshine.
Have a great day!
-Meteorologist T.J. Springer
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