Tracking rain to a wintry mix and snow overnight
TONIGHT: Light showers changing over to freezing rain late, then to snow after midnight. Snow begins to accumulate by morning. Lows in the upper teens.
TOMORROW: Snow becoming heavy at times. Dangerous road conditions through the day. Accumulation between 8-14" of snow through Thursday morning.
EXTENDED: Showers have spread across the region, falling as rain for now with temperatures dropping quickly into the lower 40s. Rain has started to change over to a sleet/snow across northern Missouri, with a general time frame of 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. for the northern half of our area including Columbia. We'll likely see a quick changeover to snow for areas north of I-70 by around midnight, with freezing rain and sleet lingering longer for points south. Areas near the Lake of the Ozarks will have the best chance of seeing ice accumulation up to about a tenth of an inch or so, with slightly higher amounts farther south along I-44. Snowfall takes over for the entire area through the morning, with a brief lull in lighter snow for a few hour window after the lunch hour. We'll likely see snow showers during this time, but they'll be lighter and provide a window for crews to get around. Snow becomes heavier by sunset, with the strongest bands happening overnight. Snow showers start to fizzle out by about mid-afternoon Thursday, with a few lingering flurries during the day. Highs reach about 20 on both days with wind chills below zero Wednesday night and Thursday nights. Winds will be in the 25-30 mph range, making visibility a problem into Thursday. Temperatures on Friday will still be below freezing, but slowly improving with more sunshine. Over the weekend, we'll be right around freezing or just above, so road clearing will be a slow process. Next week starts off dry but slightly below normal with highs in the low 30s.
