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More Winter Weather Expected Thursday Night

National Weather Service Paducah, weather.gov

UPDATE WEDNESDAY NOON:   Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says road crews were only able to pre-treat 1/3 of roadways last night, focusing efforts on state highways, interstates and parkways. There's still plenty of slick driving to be found

The National Weather Service in Paducah says there's another round of winter weather coming Thursday night and Friday. 

A chance of snow, freezing rain and sleet during the day tomorrow. Snow and freezing rain is likely Thursday night and Friday morning, along with winds gusting up to 29 miles per hour. 

UPDATE WEDNESDAY MORNING: A winter storm warning remains in effect until Noon. Several schools are closed or on a delay. Snow and sleet continues this morning, with accumulations of 2-4 inches, more in the northern part of our listening area. If you have to travel. use caution on the roads, they may be icy.

Another round of snow and freezing rain in possible Thursday night. 

UPDATE TUESDAY NOON:   The National Weather Service in Paducah has issued a Winter Storm Warning, which is in effect from 6:00 p.m. this evening to noon Wednesday.

ACCUMULATION: Forecasters expect an average of three to five inches across the entire region.  The heaviest snow chances, around six to eight inches, will occur somewhere between the Ohio River and the Tennessee border across western Kentucky and extending into southern Illinois.  

TIMING: The snow will move southwest to northeast impacting Mississippi River counties shortly after nightfall. Western Kentucky and Southern Illinois will experience snow by midnight. After midnight, the NWS reports, everyone will see accumulating snowfall. Snow and possibly sleet, for southern counties, will be steady through the morning hours through daybreak. Snowfall should taper off by midday Wednesday.

ROADS:  The NWS reports the snow will readily stick to paved surfaces causing rapid deterioration of travel conditions. The Wednesday commute could be very hazardous.  The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet reports the extreme could will dampen their efforts to pre-treat all roadways in advance of the winter storm. Kentucky highway crews will work during the day to have snow plows loaded with salt to deploy. KYTC crews are prepared to work around the clock as the winter storm rolls through.

Here is a multi-media briefing from the NWS:

UPDATE Tuesday Morning:   

Weather officials have a better timeline of the winter storm predicted to enter our region later today and tonight. 

Meteorologist Beau Dodson says the system originating from the west coast will produce snow in far southeast Missouri around 5pm before impacting southern Illinois, western Kentucky and Tennessee around 7 to 11pm.

"After 11pm, into the early hours of Wednesday is when the storm should intensify and peak," said Dodson. "Travel conditions will likely go downhill pretty fast because we were in the upper single digits overnight and that means that road conditions are cold. Anything that falls is not going to melt, it's going to stick." 

Dodson says icy roads and poor visibility will be the biggest hazard for most people tomorrow. 

"Whether your in a watch, warning or advisory, the end result is going to be the same: icy roadways," said Dodson. "This isn't going to be an ice storm or anything that's going to bring down power lines or branches -- though with any winter storm you can't rule out pockets of outages -- but widespread ice will not be a concern with this event." 

Snowfall totals are expected to be widespread 2-3 inches and 4-6 in some areas.  

Snow and rain should let up around noon Wednesday, however Dodson says the bigger concern will be the heavy storm system moving in Wednesday night and lasting through Friday.  

"If we do get the second storm, then we've got problems right on into the weekend because that one is a heavier event," said Dodson. "Data shows heavy frozen precipitation in our area, but, it may warm up and end as heavy snow on Friday." 

The National Weather Service advises drivers to use caution as rapid sleet and snowfall will result in extremely hazardous travel conditions for the morning commute.  Temperatures are expected in the single digits, warming centers are opening in some communities.

Due to extreme cold temperatures, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet road crews will not have sufficient time to pre-treat all roadways in advance of the wintry mix.  However, crews will attempt to pre-treat some highways, including Interstate 24 on Tuesday.

Motorists should be alert for spray trucks and support vehicles on the road through the day. 

Highway crews will work during the day to have snow plows loaded with salt and prepared to roll out when the wintry mix arrives. Crews will then be prepared to work around the clock as the winter storm rolls through.

 
Previous:

A winter weather event is predicted to roll into western Kentucky, Tuesday night and continue into Wednesday morning. 

According to Meteorologist Beau Dodson it will start with snow then change to sleet and freezing rain. With the drop in temperature Dodson says he predicts slick roads Wednesday morning.

“We’re still a good 36 hours away from this event, plenty of time for adjustments. But that’s how it looks right now. We’ll probably have a winter weather event on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning and then we’re watching a bonafide winter storm for Thursday, Thursday night,” Dodson said.

Conditions are expected to improve and roads clear by midday Wednesday unless precipitation is more than predicted. We will continue to bring you updates on this winter weather event. 

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