Just days after snow and ice glazed the Mid-Mississippi Valley to the Mid-Atlantic, a new winter wallop is preparing to aim for the South to round out the work week.
Cold air continues to billow southward across the central and eastern U.S., leading to temperatures that are struggling to climb past the freezing mark. At the same time, an area of low pressure is starting to come together across Texas, and will motor through the Mid-South and into the Carolinas. The result will be a rare winter storm across the southern states, capable of bringing travel to a standstill today and Friday.
Winter Storm Warnings stretch from from the Texas Panhandle, northeastern Texas and most of Oklahoma into southern Virginia, most of North Carolina and western South Carolina. Winter Weather Advisories stretch from New Mexico to the lower Ohio Valley and parts of the Deep South and Southeast, including Oklahoma City, St. Louis, and Indianapolis. Winter Storm Watches remain in effect for parts of Virginia and northeastern North Carolina.
Areas of rain, snow, freezing rain, and sleet will be found throughout most of the southern Plains today. This pattern will be repeated to the east, with a sloppy snow-and-ice mess expected to last through Friday morning in the lower Mississippi Valley and through Friday night in the Southeast. As much as 2 to 5 inches of snow can be expected within the warning area, in addition to 0.05 to 0.10 inches of ice. Localized snow amounts of 6 to 8 inches will be possible where it stays all snow across portions of eastern Oklahoma into central Arkansas and southeastern Missouri. Outside of this core, an inch or two of snow will accumulate on everything through Friday.
Meanwhile, moderate to locally heavy rainfall will occur on the warm side of this area of low pressure. Rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches will be possible from southeastern Texas to southern Mississippi. This 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 on Friday, widespread severe weather is not anticipated at this time.
A piece of this storm system will combine with an arctic cold front that will move across the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes on Friday and through the Northeast on Saturday. Along and ahead of this front, light snow will develop across the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, and Mid-Atlantic on Friday 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.