WHAT: Light snow of up to one half inch
WHEN: Monday (could start as early as sunrise)
IMPACTS: Some slick spots on area roads are possible
The leading edge of our next storm system could be seen moving in just as the sun was setting.
Parts of the southern plains saw several inches of snow today from this system. Some places saw snow for the first time in 10 years. What a day for those folks! Even at this hour, winter weather advisories extend across Mississippi and Alabama.
In order to get a good snow, southern moisture from the Gulf needs to pair up with good atmospheric dynamics, all the while moving over cold surface air. That trio matched up perfectly today in Texas.
As is the case, the atmosphere is always on the move. It behaves like a fluid and we even compare it to a river from time to time. That “river” flows swiftly this time of year. Tonight, the atmosphere will move that atmospheric energy eastward and weaken it, while moisture from the Gulf begins to move more slowly northward. By the time it all reaches us, we’ll have pitiful atmospheric dynamics and meager Gulf moisture. We have the colder surface air, but it’s a struggle to get everything else to work out.
Never the less, we should have just enough going for us to squeeze out some moisture. Snow lovers like the fact that it only takes a little bit of moisture to make a bit of snow.
That moisture will likely fall in a more frozen form than liquid. This system has sped up and I think the greatest impact could come in the morning hours of Monday. Light snow should be falling in the area by then. If you want snow, you best hope that the dry here at the surface doesn’t evaporate much of the falling moisture. That’s always a concern.
The bottom line is that this is looking like a very light event and we’ll be lucky to see even half an inch. But, we all know it only takes a little bit of snow to see travel issues. The greatest potential for snowfall will once again be found in areas south of Cookeville and Crossville.
As always, I’ll keep a close eye on things and let you know if anything changes!
My thoughts are unchanged from this morning’s snow scale. I’m still confident we’ll see some snow, I’m just not sure it will amount to much. Whatever falls will be another wetter snow, which would be pretty to see fall.
