Here it comes
The national radar image speaks for itself: a large blob of precipitation is moving in our direction.
We're now under a Winter Storm Warning (no surprise) with an official forecast of 3-5 inches for Cape Girardeau. Here's the current forecast:
TODAY... SNOW LIKELY IN THE MORNING THEN SNOW IN THE AFTERNOON. SNOW MAY BE HEAVY AT TIMES IN THE AFTERNOON. SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 3 TO 4 INCHES. HIGHS IN THE LOWER 30S. NORTHEAST WINDS 10 TO 15 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION NEAR 100 PERCENT.
TONIGHT... CLOUDY. SNOW LIKELY POSSIBLY MIXED WITH FREEZING DRIZZLE IN THE EVENING...THEN A CHANCE OF FREEZING DRIZZLE AND LIGHT SNOW AFTER MIDNIGHT. SNOW ACCUMULATION UP TO 1 INCH. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATION 3 TO 5 INCHES. LOWS IN THE LOWER 20S. NORTH WINDS 10 TO 15 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 60 PERCENT.
WEDNESDAY... MOSTLY CLOUDY. A CHANCE OF FLURRIES. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 20S. NORTH WINDS 10 TO 15 MPH.
The National Weather Service in Paducah has been tweeting this morning about the poor performance of the computer models. At this point with the storm imminent, I'm watching the radar trends more than the computer models.
The big question is whether we get all snow or whether we get more sleet or even freezing rain. If we get more sleet (which we've seen with previous storms), then accumulation totals may not reach 3 inches. But if we get all snow, and the system continues to strengthen -- and it does look impressive on radar -- then we could exceed 5 inches.
Another wild card is the tiny, but non-zero, chance for thunder. That could boost snow totals in isolated areas. And, let's face it, thundersnow is a lot of fun.
We'll find out soon enough.
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