Where did this come from?
What looked like a small chance of flurries tonight has now morphed into a good chance for snow showers this evening, with an inch or more of accumulation now expected. The National Weather Service has issued a surprise Winter Weather Advisory, which means I can give this system a name (Winter Storm "Comet").
Here's the text of their bulletin:
..WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST TONIGHT
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PADUCAH HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR QUICK BURSTS OF SNOW...POSSIBLY LOCALLY HEAVY AT TIMES...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST TONIGHT.
* LIGHT SNOW SHOULD BEGIN FALLING OVER SOUTHEAST MISSOURI DURING THE MID TO LATE AFTERNOON HOURS. THIS SNOW COULD QUICKLY BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES IN BANDS ACROSS THE REGION. THIS AREA OF PRECIPITATION WILL RAPIDLY MOVE EAST INTO SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...WESTERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHWEST INDIANA EARLY TONIGHT. THE SNOW WILL LIKELY TAPER OFF JUST AS QUICKLY AS IT BEGAN OVER SOUTHEAST MISSOURI EARLY TONIGHT...THEN END OVER THE REST OF THE REGION BY AROUND MIDNIGHT.
* THE MAIN IMPACT WILL COME WITH BURSTS OF LOCALLY HEAVY SNOW IN EAST TO WEST BANDING PRECIPITATION. WHERE...AND HOW NARROW OR THICK THESE BANDS OF SNOW BECOME WILL DETERMINE HOW MUCH SNOW A GIVEN LOCATION RECEIVES. AT THIS TIME...IT SEEMS LIKE MUCH OF THE ADVISORY AREA WILL SEE UP TO A QUICK INCH OR SO OF SNOW. HOWEVER...THERE WILL LIKELY BE LOCALLY HEAVIER BANDS THAT PRODUCE A QUICK 2 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW. MOTORISTS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR RAPIDLY FLUCTUATING VISIBILITIES TO UNDER A QUARTER MILE AT TIMES.
* OTHER IMPACTS INCLUDE THE FACT THAT MUCH OF THE SNOW WILL OCCUR DURING INCREASED TRAFFIC BETWEEN 4 PM AND 7 PM... ESPECIALLY IN SOUTHEAST MISSOURI...SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AND THE WESTERN TIP OF KENTUCKY AND SOUTHWEST INDIANA.
The computer models are showing little if any accumulation, but the reality says otherwise: The radar shows blobs of snow quickly moving this way. Have fun!
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