Good afternoon everyone. The blog is in full steam ahead Winter Storm ALERT mode as a significant round of Ice and Snow will moving into the state over the next few days. There are still some questions on the exact type of precipitation for any one given location. That said… the moisture should be plentiful leading to a nasty round of winter weather.

Here is my first take on how I see this storm playing out…



Some thoughts going into the first call…

– Low pressure will track across Tennessee throwing moisture northward into the region. I am thinking the models will continue to spit out higher precip totals in coming runs as they get a better handle on this low.

– Low level arctic cold air is in place and will hang tough through the majority of the storm… especially across the northern half of our region. The models typically try to erode this cold air way too quickly and that is likely to be the case once again. That said… its not like the models are warm by any means. We would only be talking about a temp swing from 28-35 degrees from north to south. In this setup… one degree can make a HUGE difference.

– The area outlined in the Ice storm is of particular concern as this region can pick up .25: to .50″ of ice with locally higher amounts possible. This would lead to a dangerous scenario and one we will be watching closely. The precip in this region should begin as a period of snow before going to freezing rain. It is also possible for some areas… mainly south… to switch to a period of plain rain if temps can spike just above freezing for a while.

– Farther north… the cold will be a little deeper allowing for a longer period of snow. Even here… Freezing rain and sleet can mix in with the snow with a changeover to the ice possible for some. Snow totals are dependent on how much ice mixes in.

– Keep in mind… the ground if frozen solid and we have a good snowpack. This will help keep those temps at the surface from rising very much. Even if actual air temps go just above freezing… rain falling onto a ground with temps well below freezing can still result in some icing.

The blog will continue to watch this storm and have updates as needed so be sure to check back. Have a great Tuesday and take care.