Hello and good morning. Needless to say it’s been a busy start to the day. Everything is happening right on schedule with very minor changes to the overall forecast.
Right now we’re getting batches of cold thunderstorms, freezing rain, sleet, and a wintry mix across the Ozarks. Temperatures are hovering right near freezing and are forecast to drop by a few degrees in the north and eastern Ozarks in the coming hours. This means ice will soon accumulate on roadways and it will be extremely dangerous to travel. Accumulations may reach 3/4 of an inch in select spots, which will likely cause power outages.
From Greene Co to about Gainesville and southward, ice will accumulate up to .20″ which can still cause travel issues, but outages are much less likely. Higher elevations should expect a bit more. Eventually a dry slot works its way into the region which will give some spots a second to breathe and catch up on road clean up. After the dry slot, though, the system ramps up again.
Snow will quickly fill into the region as winds shift strongly out of the north and northwest. Gusts could top 40 mph in some areas, which will blow the snow around and reduce visibility greatly.
It won’t be a blizzard in the viewpoint of snow totals, but there will be a period of time tonight that will certainly look like one. Accumulations haven’t changed much from yesterday, and I think most spots will be on the low end of these spectrums. There’s a good chance the snow isn’t going anywhere for awhile as extremely cold air from the Arctic flows in.
Temperatures overnight will crash into the teens and single digits with wind chills likely near or below zero. A blustery day is expected Monday with full sunshine. While highs are forecast to reach the lower 20s, it will feel significantly colder than that with strong winds continuing. We’ll likely stay below freezing from tonight until Thursday late morning/early afternoon. This kind of cold is not one you want to wait around in. Frost bite and hypothermia can set in quickly with the wind chills we’re expecting, which could be as low as -8 degrees. Bring pets inside and keep faucets dripping to avoid frozen pipes. A gradual “warm up” will still keep us in the 30s into next weekend with another chance for snow Friday.
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