THIS WEEK'S WEATHER

12-9-2017 at the end of Staymon

Maisy playing in the snow, 12-9-2017

(Click pics to enlarge - this Sunday will mark a year since the above 

pictures were taken.  'Tis the season... ) 

I hesitate to talk so many days in advance about the potential for a wintry mess, but this weekend may well see a significant deterioration in travel conditions.

The first minor event shouldn't impact travel, a very limited chance for snow late Tuesday night.  All models I see are 0-1", and at the moment I have no concerns for the snow part (per travel) here in Apple Creek. What we will definitely notice will be the cold temperatures returning again to end the week.

The bigger issue starts overnight Friday into Saturday.  There will be a system arriving from the Gulf of Mexico that will couple with the cold air that will already be in place, though a bit moderated.  As always, the big question is will we have the critical temperatures thick enough to support serious snowy/icy travel concerns?  At this moment it looks like we'll see it all, snow, sleet, and rain on the front side, even with surface temperatures above 32 degrees (if we should be so lucky).  Cold on the backside Saturday night into Sunday would be prime for accumulating snow at first glance.

The problem with precipitation falling in temperatures within a tick or two of 32 degrees is that the water content is higher and if all snow can accumulate quickly as a heavy wet snow.  If the layer of freezing air at the surface is shallow, it lends itself to more sleet/rain.

Again, this time-frame is beyond what my favored models can see by a day or two, so I just wanted to put it out there for now.  There is no doubt precipitation is coming.  There is no doubt it will be cold. I will post an update probably Wednesday afternoon, so check back.



Bob