Skip to main content

Snow Storm Takes Aim on Local 6 Area

SNOW TOTALS AS OF 11AM

These are official from the National Weather Service in Paducah and Memphis. Some impressive areas of deep snow. Did you see my projected sweet spots I posted yesterday? Scroll down to yesterday's post to see the highlighted cities I picked for "sweet spots" and how it compares to the following list. Click to enlarge.




A WEATHER AUTHORITY ALERT DAY HAS BEEN ACTIVATED FOR THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY.

A mix of wintry precipitation will move in from southwest to northeast this afternoon and evening, light to begin. Later tonight and early Friday morning the mixed precipitation will switch over to snow, heavy at times, making for hazardous road conditions.
A Winter Storm WARNING is already in place from Thursday 6PM until Friday Midday. 
An area of low pressure will develop in the deep south by this evening and move northeast through the Tennessee Valley. We always look to the heavy snow band to set up around 150 miles to the northwest of that area of low pressure which at the current time, puts that snow band across Western Kentucky, NW Tennessee, and the Bootheel of MO. In the past 24 hours, the computer models have shifted this band all over the place and a few miles will make a huge difference in how much snow, if any, you may see in any given place.
As stated above, the leading edge of precipitation will probably be mixed with sleet and freezing rain, making for an icy layer to build on. This will quickly cause road conditions to deteriorate this evening and overnight. It's by Friday morning that the chance of heavy snow kicks in and accumulated on top of that icy layer. We must be prepared for both.
Below I have zoomed in on KY/TN to show you where the projected "sweet spots" will be for this event as it stands at 10AM Thursday.
Murray, Wingo, Hazel, Cadiz, Hopkinsville, Dover, Paris, McKenzie Dresden, and Greenfield are my pick for "sweet spots" for highest snow potential. This may change as one last model run comes in later this evening if the line (band of snow) shifts a little. I will post again this evening to make any final touches on the forecast.
Preps need to be made before sundown this evening so you are not caught out in the heart of the storm moving in tonight. Road crews will be working very hard to keep major arteries open, especially I-24 and the Purchase Parkway. Inevitably some areas will be harder to keep up with than others so if travel becomes absolutely necessary, allow for an additional half hour to hour of extra time.
Roads will see the highest impact from this storm. Some areas may see power outages as well as strong winds, especially along KY/TN border become quite strong as well. 

Here is a link to all our preparedness information graphics all in one place. Click Here. 
Take a few minutes today to ensure you have a plan if you are in the highest risk areas. 






Comments

Thank you for including Weakley County, Tennessee! We always look to WPSD for our weather updates but often get left out of the NWS Paducah briefings. While we are included in the NWS Memphis briefings, it just seems so much further and somehow not as accurate! So we look to you! THANK YOU, MS. RUKAVINA!!
Unknown said…
Oh my god!That's horrible. Thankfully,I had let my family know there about this with the help of cabled weather stations resource. They are safe now.

Popular posts from this blog

Mid-South Winter Outlook 2023-2024

Getting a general idea of what the upcoming Winter months (December, January and February) will look like for our region can be heavily influenced by El Nino and La Nina episodes. Global and oceanic forecasters have observed El Nino conditions in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean and an EL NINO ADVISORY has been issued. The episode is expected to continue through Spring (March, April and May) in the Northern Hemisphere. Model projections are pointing to a strong, possibly very strong episode occurrence.  (Current Sea Surface Temps warming off S. America) Meteorologists look at monthly data from Dec - Jan - Feb to determine a winter season average, or define that period of time as Meteorological Winter. An average winter in the Local 6 area shows an average temperature of 37 degrees, average precipitation total of 12.18" and average snowfall of 8.4". The National Weather Service in Paducah has historical data that covers 7 of the past strongest El Nino episodes in the past

Planting Zones Heading North

As our global climate changes, so does our planting zones, helping us determine which flowers/shrubs/trees are hardy in specific areas. The Local 6 area has always been split by 2-3 growing zones so placement becomes very important to those in the agricultural community. The image below represents the average over the past 30 years. Climate Central published the following information:  "What kinds of flowers, shrubs and trees you’ll find at your local nursery depends on your climate — how warm it tends to get in summer, and how cold in winter. A plant that’s happy in Wisconsin might be miserable in Alabama, and vice versa. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has formalized these differences into " hardiness zones " — strips of similar climate that run more or less east-to-west (except in the high mountains), where particular plants should do especially well. But as the planet warms under its thickening blanket of greenhouse gases, those zones are shifting northward. Th

Update: Impacts From Tropical Depression Bill

Friday AM Update Heavy rain still appears to be our greatest concern as the remnants of Tropical Storm Bill pass directly over the Local 6 area throughout the day today. A Flash Flood WATCH continues for Southern Illinois, SE Missouri, and the Ohio River counties in Western Kentucky through Saturday. Here is a look at today's forecast concerning rainfall totals from the Weather/Hydrological Prediction Center. In any given area, 2-4 inches of rain will be possible. Low-lying areas are most prone to flash flooding. Showers and storms will increase in coverage and intensity during the day on Friday.  Keep preparedness and awareness in mind as heavy rain moves in. Locate areas of higher ground in the event you need to retreat there. Never drive across flooded roadways. Keep children from playing in flood waters. Water depth and swiftness is difficult to determine. Below is the latest Flash Flooding Potential Briefing from the Paducah National Weather Service.