Good Friday to one and all. A Winter Storm is taking aim on the state for the second half of the weekend into early next week and will deliver a bout of wicked wintry weather. This will be a three pronged blast with snow, arctic cold and gusty winds delivering a heck of a blast to the region.

Before getting to the winter storm… we do have the chance for some very light snows and flurries first thing this morning across the north. This shouldn’t be too big of a deal and you can track the flakes here…



That stuff will be in and out of here quickly this morning with partly sunny skies taking over for much of the day.

Now… let’s get into the specifics of the upcoming winter storm. Given all the variables coming together for a major bout of wintry weather… we will call this a winter storm because… well.. it is one.

All the models now agree on how this plays out and it is similar to the thoughts we have been throwing out for a few days.Here is the break it down…

– Low pressure will head into the northern Ohio Valley Saturday. This low will have a swath of rain on its southern flank that will increase from west to east by later in the day and evening. Much of Saturday looks to be dry with temps spiking into the lower and middle 40s.

– Rain moves in Saturday evening and does so with cold air racing into it from the west. The cold will catch the back of the rain changing it over to snow during the night. By Sunday morning… everyone has already made the switch to snow with temps down into the upper 20s to near 30. There is likely to be a period of moderate to heavy snow Sunday morning across central and eastern Kentucky as a stronger low forms to our east.

– We have to be on guard for a quick freeze up early Sunday as thermometers drop some 10-15 degrees in just an hour or two. Temps will fall all day Sunday and wind up into the teens by evening.

– As the snow shield exits the east by early Afternoon Sunday… backlash snows will swing in. There will be periods of moderate snow with some heavier bursts. This will carry us into Sunday night. Snow showers and squalls would then take over for Monday for the eastern half of the state.

– Winds will gust to 30mph or greater into early Monday. This will create blowing and even some drifting of snow for many areas.

– Arctic air will grip the region through the middle of the week. Highs Monday and Tuesday are likely to stay in the teens with lows that may approach 0.

– Wind chill readings will slip into the danger category as it will feel 0 to -10 for much of the time.

– Travel from Sunday into Monday is going to become very treacherous as the combination of snow and blowing snow can cause some big issues.

Here is my latest snow forecast…



I will continue to update the snow forecast over the next few days and make further changes as more data comes in. That said… I am pretty comfortable with the totals and placement I have on the map right now.

To illustrate the arctic cold part of the attack… take a look at the low temps from the GFS…



Looking down the road… I am already watching the potential for snow and Ice for Thursday and Friday. How is this early start to winter treating ya?

I will have more updates on the weekend winter storm through the day so be sure to check back. Have a great Friday and take care.