INSIDER BLOG: Ice potential Saturday
SATURDAY MORNING UPDATE: A Winter Weather Advisory has been further extended for all of Mid-Missouri. The warmup may be delayed by cloud cover today, keeping more areas below freezing into the early afternoon.
SETUP
Southerly flow will bring us a warmup for the weekend, but it will also bring a surge in moisture on Saturday.
This will lead to the potential for drizzle and showers mid-morning. If we do start to see precipitation during the morning hours, it will encounter some below-freezing temperatures at the surface.
Surface temperatures will be climbing with all of the southerly flow, so the window for freezing may be small. As more of Mid-MO finally breaks above 32 degrees, precipitation will switch to rain in the afternoon.
IMPACTS
Impacts in Mid-Missouri should be minor. Generally, a light glaze to around 0.01" is expected. Higher amounts are expected towards the east, north of St. Louis, where folks could see closer to 0.1" of ice accumulation.
WHY WASN'T A WEATHER ALERT DAY ISSUED?
Issuing a Weather Alert Day is not something we take lightly. While the conditions for freezing rain are coming together, ice accumulation is still not a certainty. A mixture of factors will work against the formation of ice, including a short window of favorable temperatures, light precipitation amounts, and a strong breeze.
This may be a borderline event, where not everyone will see ice accumulations. Especially on the heels of last Saturday's ice accumulation, it's important to note that we are expecting less impact. Still, it's important to pay attention to the forecast and give yourself plenty of time to get around tomorrow, just in case things change.
