The "F" word... again

Our new weathermaker, Winter Storm "Vixen", is poised to bring freezing rain Thursday night, although the forecast could easily change at least 37 times between now and then.

The Paducah NWS office issued this bulletin today:

..WINTRY WEATHER POSSIBLE THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY

A STORM SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO TRACK ACROSS OR JUST SOUTH AND EAST OF THE QUAD STATE REGION THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY. WITH AN ARCTIC AIRMASS FIRMLY IN PLACE OVER THE AREA...THE CHANCES FOR FREEZING OR FROZEN PRECIPITATION ARE LIKELY ACROSS ALL OR PART OF THE AREA. RECENT MODEL GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO HAVE DIFFICULTY DETERMINING THE EVENTUAL TRACK OF THIS SYSTEM...BUT SHOULD IT TAKE A MORE SOUTHERLY TRACK...IT WOULD INCREASE THE CHANCES FOR HIGHER ICE AND SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...AND THUS GREATER TRAVEL CONCERNS. STAY TUNED FOR THE LATEST ON THIS DEVELOPING SYSTEM.

The last time the "F" word was in the forecast, the ground was fairly warm following 60-degree weather, keeping the freezing rain confined to elevated surfaces. This time we may not be so lucky, with the temperature dropping into the teens tonight and tomorrow night in advance of the storm.

On the other hand, the approaching storm -- like so many systems over the last year -- is likely to be hampered by a lack of moisture.

At this point, I think it's a little too early to raid the bakery aisles.