Mother Nature continues to unleash her fury across parts of the South and Mississippi Valley, with snow, ice, and heavy rain to close out the work week.
An area of low pressure will move eastward across the Lower Mississippi Valley and the Mid-South this morning and will move across the Southeast later today and tonight. Cold air continues to funnel southward toward this low pressure system, with is colliding with plenty of warm, moist air moving northward out of the Gulf of Mexico. The clash of these two distinct air masses will result in a rare winter storm across the southern states, capable of bringing travel to a standstill today.
This storm system is already responsible for producing a swath of 3 to 6 inches of snow from Oklahoma City southward to near the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex. Moderate to briefly heavy snow will continue to move eastward across Arkansas and the Tennessee Valley today, with rain, snow, and even ice found from Louisiana eastward into Georgia. A wintry mix of snow, sleet, and ice will develop by this afternoon across the Carolinas.
Winter Storm Warnings stretch from northeast Texas and eastern Oklahoma through parts of the Mississippi, Tennessee, and Ohio valleys, southern Appalachians, and into the Carolinas and southern Virginia. This includes cities such as Little Rock, Ark., Memphis and Nashville, Tenn., Louisville, Ky., Tupelo, Miss., Birmingham and Huntsville, Ala., Atlanta, Charlotte and Raleigh, N.C., and Richmond, Va.
Winter Weather Advisories surround these warnings and stretch across central and western Texas to Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, the eastern Carolinas, and parts of the Deep South. Cities such as Oklahoma City, Dallas, St. Louis, Indianapolis, and Detroit are included.
Within the warning areas, snow accumulations of 2 to 5 inches will be common, while locally 5 to 7 inches of snow will be possible in parts of Arkansas into Tennessee and southern Kentucky. Farther to the east, snow accumulations will be lighter in the southern Appalachians into the Carolinas, with a general 1 to 3 inches of snow. But here, sleet and even freezing rain will mix with the snow, with upwards of 0.15 inches of ice possible. Locally higher ice amounts will be possible this afternoon and evening, especially from near Raleigh and Charlotte, N.C., to Columbia, S.C., to Atlanta where locally up to 0.25 inches of ice will be possible.
Meanwhile, moderate to locally heavy rainfall will occur from Louisiana eastward into Georgia today. Rainfall totals of 1 to as much as 3 inches will be possible, which may lead to localized flooding in urban areas and in poor drainage areas. Remember, “Turn Around, Don’t Drown!” if you approach a flooded roadway. While a few embedded thunderstorms will also be possible today, widespread severe weather is not anticipated at this time.
Moisture from this system will also be pulled northward during the day today into Saturday as an arctic cold front sweeps across the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, and into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Along and ahead of this front, light snow is expected today into Saturday. Here, snow accumulations will generally be under 2 inches, but localized snow accumulations of 3 or 4 inches will be possible in the Ohio Valley into the Appalachian mountains of Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Be sure to download the WeatherBug app to stay up to date on the latest on this changing weather. Regardless of the exact track, it’s never too early to have a supply kit packed in case of inclement weather. A simple kit including a weather radio, water, blankets, batteries and non-perishable food items will go a long way in the event of a power outage. It’s always best to avoid travelling in rough weather as the roads will be dangerous.