Rain changing to snow, then more snow, then rain, followed by snow
I thought last week's big snowstorm was difficult to forecast, but the weather for the next few days is even more complicated.
Temperatures will hover near freezing through Tuesday, so precipitation will bounce between rain and snow. Sometimes the snow will stick, sometimes it won't. The good is, at least, is that freezing rain (so far) appears to be off the table.
This morning's rain will change to non-sticking snow this afternoon. Then the precipitation will change to sticking-to-the-grass snow, followed by sticking-to-everything snow late tonight. It's not clear when the changeovers will occur, but it looks like the daylight hours today should be OK.
Depending on when the snow does start to accumulate, Winter Storm "Comic Book Guy" could deliver 1-3 inches total. This map from the National Weather Service shows that we have a 10% chance of receiving 4 inches or more.
It seems more likely that any 4+ inch snowfalls will remain confined to Central Missouri, where the rain-to-snow switchover is already happening.
As it moves east, the storm is poised to deliver an epic snowfall to portions of the East Coast, including two feet in the Washington, D.C. area. One computer model projection for Northern Virginia is breathtaking, featuring a massive area that is literally off the chart.
Our next system, Winter Storm "Disco Stu", could possibly deliver a big snow to Cape Girardeau on Monday. Snow will arrive late Sunday night. It may change to rain or non-sticking-snow during the day Monday (although the computer models disagree on this important detail). By Monday night, it will change in earnest to snow.
"Disco Stu" has the potential to be just as strong as the previous system that dumped 7.7 inches of snow at Cape. However, if the precip changes to rain, then that will drastically cut accumulation totals. If we do get a big snow, the ground will remain white for several days, as an Arctic blast next week will keep temperatures below freezing through at least Thursday.
I've had my fill of snow for the year. How about you?
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