Winter Storm Warning posted for Southeast Missouri

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URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY

155 PM CST MON DEC 23 2002

A VERY INTENSE UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM... MOVING ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST U.S. EARLY THIS AFTERNOON... IS HEADED FOR THE MIDDLE MISSISSIPPI AND OHIO VALLEY REGIONS. WINTER PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THROUGH THE COURSE OF THE EVENING... WITH SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT AND TUESDAY. THERE MAY ALSO BE ACCUMULATIONS OF SLEET. INITIALLY... THE PRECIPITATION SHOULD START OFF AS A MIXTURE OF SLEET... SNOW... AND RAIN... BUT GRADUALLY BECOME ALL SNOW AND SLEET BY LATE TONIGHT.

THE LATEST FORECAST INFORMATION AVAILABLE SUGGESTS THE GREATEST ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOW SHOULD BE GENERALLY NORTH OF A LINE FROM VAN BUREN TO JACKSON IN SOUTHEAST MISSOURI... AND CARBONDALE TO MOUNT CARMEL IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS. ACCUMULATIONS COULD BE 4... TO AS HIGH AS 6 INCHES IN THIS AREA. SOUTH OF THIS LINE... TO ABOUT THE OHIO RIVER... A SNOW AND SLEET MIX COULD RESULT IN 1 TO 3 INCH ACCUMULATIONS... WITH HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE.

THE STORM SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO DEPART THE AREA BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON... WITH ONLY FLURRIES OR VERY LIGHT SNOW EXPECTED BY TUESDAY NIGHT.

BOLLINGER MO- CAPE GIRARDEAU MO- CARTER MO- EDWARDS IL- FRANKLIN IL- HAMILTON IL- JACKSON IL-JEFFERSON IL- PERRY MO- PERRY IL-WABASH IL- WAYNE MO- WAYNE IL- WHITE IL-

INCLUDING THE CITIES OF... PERRYVILLE... CAPE GIRARDEAU... CARMI AND CARBONDALE

141 PM CST MON DEC 23 2002

... WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THIS EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING...

A MIXTURE OF SLEET... SNOW AND POSSIBLY RAIN IS FORECAST TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. AS THE NIGHT WEARS ON... COLDER AIR WILL SET UP ACROSS SOUTHEAST MISSOURI AND SOUTHERN ILLINOIS. THIS SHOULD TRANSITION THE MIXTURE OF PRECIPITATION OVER TO ALL SNOW THROUGH THE EARLY NIGHTTIME HOURS. THE SNOW IS FORECAST TO CONTINUE THROUGH MIDDAY TUESDAY... WITH TOTAL STORM ACCUMULATIONS ON THE ORDER OF 4 INCHES... WITH SOME AMOUNTS POSSIBLY APPROACHING 6 INCHES.

TRAVEL CONDITIONS WILL LIKELY BECOME TREACHEROUS LATE TONIGHT AND CONTINUE INTO THE DAY TUESDAY. ANYONE WITH TRAVEL PLANS ACROSS THE REGION SHOULD PLAN AHEAD. CONSIDER LEAVING EARLIER THIS EVENING IF POSSIBLE. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL LATE TONIGHT AND TUESDAY... BE PREPARED FOR DIFFICULT TRAVEL CONDITIONS.

ALEXANDER IL- BUTLER MO- DAVIESS KY- GALLATIN IL- GIBSON IN- HARDIN IL- HENDERSON KY-JOHNSON IL- MASSAC IL- PIKE IN- POPE IL- POSEY IN- PULASKI IL- RIPLEY MO-SALINE IL-SCOTT MO- SPENCER IN-STODDARD MO- UNION KY-UNION IL-VANDERBURGH IN-WARRICK IN-WILLIAMSON IL-

INCLUDING THE CITIES OF... SIKESTON... POPLAR BLUFF... OWENSBORO... HENDERSON... EVANSVILLE... HERRIN... HARRISBURG AND CAIRO

141 PM CST MON DEC 23 2002

... WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THIS EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING...

A MIXTURE OF SLEET... RAIN AND SNOW IS FORECAST TO DEVELOP ACROSS SOUTHEAST MISSOURI... AND FAR SOUTHERN ILLINOIS BY THE END OF THE DAY... AND SHOULD DEVELOP INTO SOUTHWEST INDIANA BY THIS EVENING. THIS WINTRY MIXTURE OF PRECIPITATION SHOULD CONTINUE THROUGH THE FIRST PART OF TONIGHT. THEN LATE TONIGHT... MAINLY A SNOW AND SLEET MIXTURE IS EXPECTED... ALONG WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF FREEZING RAIN... LASTING INTO EARLY TUESDAY. TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOW AND SLEET COULD TOTAL 1 TO 3 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS... ESPECIALLY ACROSS SOUTHEAST MISSOURI AND SOUTHERN ILLINOIS.

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO

1050 AM CST MON DEC 23 2002

... WINTER STORM WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI AND SOUTHERN ILLINOIS FOR TONIGHT AND TUESDAY...

.A POWERFUL WINTER STORM CONTINUES TO DEVELOP OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS THIS MORNING... AND ALL INDICATIONS ARE THAT IT WILL PUSH INTO SOUTHEAST MISSOURI AND PARTS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS BY TONIGHT. THE PRECIPITATION IN THIS AREA WILL BEGIN AS A COLD RAIN THIS AFTERNOON... BUT IS EXPECTED TO RAPIDLY CHANGE TO SNOW EARLY THIS EVENING. DUE TO THE LARGE AMOUNTS OF MOISTURE AND LIFT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS STORM... RAPID SNOW ACCUMULATIONS MAY OCCUR TONIGHT AND EARLY TUESDAY... MAKING TRAVEL EXTREMELY DIFFICULT... AND PERHAPS IMPOSSIBLE. THOSE PLANNING TRAVEL INTO THIS AREA SHOULD EITHER CONSIDER LEAVING NOW... OR POSTPONE YOUR TRIP UNTIL LATE TUESDAY OR TUESDAY EVENING WHEN CONDITIONS SHOULD BEGIN TO IMPROVE. ALTHOUGH IT IS THE HOLIDAYS... DON'T PRESS YOUR LUCK BY TRYING TO TRAVEL WHEN WEATHER AND ROAD CONDITIONS ARE HAZARDOUS. REMEMBER... NO TRIP IS WORTH YOUR LIFE.

POTENTIAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS FROM THIS STORM WILL RANGE FROM 12 INCHES OVER SOUTHEAST MISSOURI... TO LESS THAN AN INCH ALONG A MEXICO... BOWLING GREEN... PITTSFIELD LINE.

CRAWFORD MO-IRON MO- MADISON MO-RANDOLPH IL- REYNOLDS MO- ST. FRANCOIS MO- STE. GENEVIEVE MO- WASHINGTON MO-

INCLUDING THE CITIES OF... CHESTER AND FARMINGTON

1050 AM CST MON DEC 23 2002

... WINTER STORM WARNING FOR TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...

A COLD RAIN IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON... BUT WILL RAPIDLY CHANGE TO SNOW THIS EVENING. HEAVY SNOW WILL THEN DEVELOP... AND BY THE TIME THE STORM BEGINS TO WIND DOWN TUESDAY AFTERNOON... SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 12 INCHES ARE LIKELY.

A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS THAT 6 INCHES OR MORE OF SNOW IS EXPECTED. THE RAPID ACCUMULATION OF SNOW WILL MAKE TRAVEL EXTREMELY DIFFICULT... IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE. IF TRAVEL IS NECESSARY... MAKE SURE TO EXERCISE CAUTION. BEGIN YOUR TRAVEL WITH A TANK FULL OF GAS... AND CARRY A WINTER STORM KIT WHICH INCLUDES A SHOVEL... FLASHLIGHT... CELL PHONE... AND BLANKETS OR EXTRA WARM CLOTHING.