Fast-moving storm to dump a shot of snow and ice across pocket of central US
By
Renee Duff, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Jan 27, 2020 2:02 PM EDT
On Jan. 24, a tractor trailer slid off the highway in Jefferson City, Missouri due to slick road conditions.
An injection of cold air on the backside of a storm system will be potent enough to produce a swath of snow and slippery travel across the southern Plains into Tuesday evening.
The cold plunge is causing snow to fall in areas that started out the week with high temperatures in the 50s and 60s F. For example, Liberal, Kansas, had a high of 57 on Monday, but began reporting some sleet and snow with a temperature of 32 by early Tuesday morning.
Snow (blue) and a wintry mix (pink and purple) are seen impacting portions of Kansas and Oklahoma Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 28, 2020.
Precipitation began as rain over much of the southern Plains. However, as temperatures drop to or below 32 F in the lower half of the atmosphere as the storm progresses, a transition to snow is likely.
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Snow is expected to come down at a quick enough pace to overcome the warmth stored up in the pavement from prior mild conditions, leading to difficult travel conditions with snow-covered roadways.
"As temperatures drop, slick areas are likely to develop on roadways and may hinder the commute," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Mary Gilbert.
"Ice is one of the more dangerous winter travel hazards as it may be difficult to spot, especially at highway speeds," she added.
A widespread swath of 1 to 3 inches of snow has been forecast from eastern Colorado through much of Kansas, the northern part of the Texas Panhandle and northwestern portions of Oklahoma. The snow concluded in eastern Colorado during the morning hours.
A pocket of 3- to 6-inch snowfall is forecast for southwestern Kansas and parts of the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 14 inches. As of mid-afternoon Tuesday, the majority of that heavy snow had already been delivered by the storm.
Disruptions to daily routines are likely.
Around Oklahoma City, rain is expected to end as a period of snow and/or sleet late Tuesday. There can be a slushy accumulation mainly on cars, grass and elevated surfaces, with any plowable snow expected to stay just north and west of the city.
Any wet areas on roads and sidewalks that are not dried by a gusty breeze whipping in with the storm could turn icy as temperatures plunge below freezing on Tuesday night.
As the storm unleashes drenching rain along the Gulf coast states Tuesday night into Wednesday, the wintry side of the storm may lose a bit of its punch during this timeframe.
Still, portions of eastern Kansas, northern Arkansas and much of Missouri could experience some light snow or a wintry mix around the middle of the week. This includes around Kansas City, Springfield and perhaps St. Louis, Missouri.
The storm is expected to run out of cold air by the time as it swings through the Southeast Wednesday into Thursday. Any snow will likely be confined to the highest elevations of the southern Appalachians by this point.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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News / Winter Weather
Fast-moving storm to dump a shot of snow and ice across pocket of central US
By Renee Duff, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Jan 27, 2020 2:02 PM EDT
On Jan. 24, a tractor trailer slid off the highway in Jefferson City, Missouri due to slick road conditions.
An injection of cold air on the backside of a storm system will be potent enough to produce a swath of snow and slippery travel across the southern Plains into Tuesday evening.
The cold plunge is causing snow to fall in areas that started out the week with high temperatures in the 50s and 60s F. For example, Liberal, Kansas, had a high of 57 on Monday, but began reporting some sleet and snow with a temperature of 32 by early Tuesday morning.
Snow (blue) and a wintry mix (pink and purple) are seen impacting portions of Kansas and Oklahoma Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 28, 2020.
Precipitation began as rain over much of the southern Plains. However, as temperatures drop to or below 32 F in the lower half of the atmosphere as the storm progresses, a transition to snow is likely.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Snow is expected to come down at a quick enough pace to overcome the warmth stored up in the pavement from prior mild conditions, leading to difficult travel conditions with snow-covered roadways.
"As temperatures drop, slick areas are likely to develop on roadways and may hinder the commute," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Mary Gilbert.
"Ice is one of the more dangerous winter travel hazards as it may be difficult to spot, especially at highway speeds," she added.
A widespread swath of 1 to 3 inches of snow has been forecast from eastern Colorado through much of Kansas, the northern part of the Texas Panhandle and northwestern portions of Oklahoma. The snow concluded in eastern Colorado during the morning hours.
A pocket of 3- to 6-inch snowfall is forecast for southwestern Kansas and parts of the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 14 inches. As of mid-afternoon Tuesday, the majority of that heavy snow had already been delivered by the storm.
Disruptions to daily routines are likely.
Around Oklahoma City, rain is expected to end as a period of snow and/or sleet late Tuesday. There can be a slushy accumulation mainly on cars, grass and elevated surfaces, with any plowable snow expected to stay just north and west of the city.
Any wet areas on roads and sidewalks that are not dried by a gusty breeze whipping in with the storm could turn icy as temperatures plunge below freezing on Tuesday night.
As the storm unleashes drenching rain along the Gulf coast states Tuesday night into Wednesday, the wintry side of the storm may lose a bit of its punch during this timeframe.
Still, portions of eastern Kansas, northern Arkansas and much of Missouri could experience some light snow or a wintry mix around the middle of the week. This includes around Kansas City, Springfield and perhaps St. Louis, Missouri.
The storm is expected to run out of cold air by the time as it swings through the Southeast Wednesday into Thursday. Any snow will likely be confined to the highest elevations of the southern Appalachians by this point.
Related:
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo