Winter Storm Watch Issued

The National Weather Service in Louisville has issued a Winter Storm Watch for portions of south central Kentucky from 6pm Sunday evening through 12am Tuesday.  Counties included in the Winter Storm Watch include Allen, Barren, Butler, Logan, Simpson and Warren.

This watch is in response to a system that is expected to impact the area Sunday night into Monday, with potential for producing significant snow accumulations.  A Winter Storm Watch is defined by the National Weather Service as follows:

This product is issued by the National Weather Service when there is a potential for heavy snow or significant ice accumulations, usually at least 24 to 36 hours in advance. The criteria for this watch can vary from place to place.

For south central Kentucky, that criteria is 4+”, and by the looks of this particular setup, we’ll be dealing with all snow.  That’s the current thinking at the moment.  The models are in general agreement on one thing, our area getting in on a nice coating of the white stuff.

A surface low looks to spin up over Texas tomorrow night, pluming moisture into our area from the southwest.  With the Arctic front swinging through our area tonight, we’ll have a frigid airmass for the ample moisture to interact with, resulting in moderate to heavy snowfall.  The GFS model below, valid for 6am Monday morning, illustrates how this may play out:

Please be weary of this threat.  Although changes are still possible, the potential is there for an impressive snow event to impact the area.  Stay up to date as more details become available.

We’ll be closely monitoring trends tomorrow morning, and if they hold, our winter storm watch will be upgraded to a warning.  If this occurs, confidence will rise in drastically deteriorating road conditions Sunday night through Tuesday.

That’s all I’ve got for the moment.  Stay in touch with @WxOrNotBG for the latest.