Tracking snow, wind, and cold, combining for dangerous travel conditions Thursday and Friday
TODAY: Wind, snow, and cold are the focus of the forecast going forward. A cold front is arriving as I type this, and will bring a chance at some light icing before the snow falls, mainly in our western counties. Some icing has been reported in the Kansas City metro area, but as temperatures cool this morning, this should be an increasingly low threat. Additionally, the changeover to snow happens so fast with this cold front, any impact at all would be minimal. Snow will be the dominant precip type, and so we are expecting near whiteout conditions as 20-30 mph winds (gusting higher at times) blow snow in from the north. Visibility and drifting will quickly become an issue, but so will cold air and wind chills. Most will see teens shortly behind the front, with Columbia expected to feel single digit cold by noon. By the evening, we're all pushing subzero temperatures as cold air sinks into the region. Continued windy conditions will keep blowing and drifting snow a problem well after the snow stops falling. Snow amounts are forecast in the 2-3 inch range for most, but wind will be a complicating factor making travel more treacherous than a normal 2-3 inch snow would suggest. For more details, check out our Weather Alert Day Blog. Snow wraps up in the afternoon from west to east.
TONIGHT: Winds will continue from the northwest sustained at 15-25 mph, and gust as high as 35-40 overnight, bringing wind chills into the 30-40 below range. Frostbite will be possible in 10-20 minutes.
EXTENDED: Cold air is entrenched in mid-Missouri Friday, with subzero temperatures at sunrise, warming barely above zero by the afternoon. We'll likely dip into subzero territory again Friday night, and wake up there Saturday, with Saturday afternoon temperatures doing well to reach high teens. Winds are gusty, and wind chills are dangerous well into Saturday, but should relax by Saturday evening. Blowing snow may be an issue well into Saturday. Our Christmas present from mother nature is a surface high that will relax our winds, and offer us a warm up into the 20's. On the opposite side of the high will be another chance at a passing snow shower into early Monday morning. Details are slim on this, so stay tuned. Otherwise, expect temperatures near freezing on Monday, and climbing further into the 30s on Tuesday, and possibly 40s by the middle of next week.
