A winter storm is taking aim on much of Missouri, with snow forecast to begin tonight and continue through Sunday.
The National Weather Service (NWS) reports its data continues to show potential for significant accumulations of heavy, wet snow overnight and Sunday across Mid-Missouri.
Temperatures initially will be too warm to support snow this evening, but colder air will filter into the region, changing the rain to snow, starting first in northern Missouri and then spreading south Sunday morning.
The snow may become heavy at times, with the potential for thundersnow. Significant accumulations of 7 to 11 inches are possible throughout central Missouri, with locally higher amounts expected.
Further south, along and south of Interstate 44, snowfall amounts will taper off to 3 to 5 inches across much of southern Missouri.
The snow should taper off to flurries by Sunday evening.
The NWS has issued this statement for Mid-Missouri:
...WINTER STORM WILL IMPACT THE AREA LATE TONIGHT AND SUNDAY...
.MODEL DATA CONTINUES TO SHOW THERE WILL BE A MAJOR WINTER STORM STARTING TONIGHT AND CONTINUING THROUGH SUNDAY. PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN AS RAIN TONIGHT AND QUICKLY CHANGE TO SNOW. THE CHANGEOVER LINE FROM RAIN TO SNOW WILL MARCH STEADILY SOUTHWARD OVERNIGHT AND BE NEAR THE INTERSTATE 70 CORRIDOR BY EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. THE RAIN TO SNOW LINE WILL CONTINUE MOVING SOUTH THROUGH THE MORNING.
CURRENT INDICATIONS ARE THAT THE PRECIPITATION WILL BE IN TWO WAVES. THERE WILL ALSO BE A RELATIVE MINIMUM BETWEEN THE TWO WAVES. THE FIRST WAVE WILL TAPER OFF ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA BEFORE SUNRISE... BUT PRECIPITATION WILL RAMP UP AGAIN DURING THE FIRST PART OF SUNDAY MORNING. CURRENT INDICATIONS ARE THAT THERE WILL BE BANDS OF HEAVY SNOW AND POTENTIALLY THUNDERSNOW. THE SNOW WILL FINALLY TAPER OFF FROM WEST TO EAST THROUGH THE AFTERNOON INTO THE
EVENING.
...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 7 PM CDT SUNDAY...
- TIMING...RAIN WILL OVERSPREAD THE AREA SATURDAY EVENING. THE RAIN WILL MIX WITH AND CHANGE OVER TO SNOW BEGINNING AROUND MIDNIGHT FOR NORTHEAST MISSOURI AND LATE SATURDAY NIGHT ELSEWHERE. SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES... WILL THEN CONTINUE THROUGH SUNDAY BEFORE TAPERING OFF TO FLURRIES SUNDAY EVENING.
- ACCUMULATIONS...7 TO 11 INCHES OF SNOW.
- WINDS...NORTH 10 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH.
- IMPACTS...SNOW WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO NOT ONLY ACCUMULATE ON ROADS BUT ACCUMULATE AT A RAPID PACE. THE SNOWFALL WILL LIKELY GREATLY REDUCE VISIBILITIES AT TIMES AND RESULT IN SNOW PACKED AND SLICK ROADS...MAKING TRAVEL HAZARDOUS. HEAVY WET SNOW COULD ALSO COAT PINE TREES AND POWER LINES LEADING TO POWER OUTAGES.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
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...CELLPHONE...AND BLANKETS OF EXTRA WARM CLOTHING.
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