The winter storm warning has officially begun. It was set to begin at 6:00 pm this evening and it is set to expire at 6:00 a.m. Tuesday.
First of all, I’d like to welcome all the new followers! I’ve been absolutely blasted with new follower notifications. I thank you for your trust! I now have 10,484 blog followers and 11,908 social media followers! Whew…. I sure do appreciate you all! Tell your friends about me! The 10,500th follower gets a nice weather prize! 🙂
If you’re not following, just find that “follow” button in the lower right corner of your screen. Thank you!
Now, about this weather….
The NWS updated their ice totals map and their thinking is now more in line with what I’ve been saying. Notice that the southern half of Cumberland County is within the reduced ice totals. I would have placed Crab Orchard in the red, as they tend to stay colder longer over there, but other than that I think this looks pretty good. There will be areas with much more ice and there will be areas with much less. That’s the case with all winter events. However, I can’t recall an event where so much will change over such a short distance. For instance, here at my house I already have an ice storm. Some of my trees have over half an inch of ice on them. The pines area about to break. If I drive one mile up the road there’s nothing. If I go a mile the other direction it looks even worse. Some of you all haven’t had any ice until this evening. I’ve had ice since Friday night. Strange times.
My reasoning hasn’t changed much since my last post, so please refer to the Sunday afternoon update if you haven’t already.
Things are getting icy outside areawide, so I hope everyone is now safe and sound at home. If you’re not, you best be getting there.
There is still the hope that some of us will warm above freezing on Monday. I’m most optimistic of that occurring along and south of Interstate 40 in Cumberland County. I’m most concerned about that not happening across northwest Cumberland County and across Overton and Fentress Counties, especially where we already have ice accumulating.
Keep in mind, if you already had trees with significant ice before it got dark this evening, those trees are going to suffer most in this storm.
I think I’ve given you about everything you need to be ready for this. If you are one of the many new followers, please refer to my post from this afternoon and this morning for more information. Just scroll down the blog to find those.
Radar has been becoming more concerning by the hour. I’m seeing wintry precip break out to our southwest. That will be heading our way later on and increasing the intensity of the precip many of us already have falling out there. I’ve had freezing drizzle all afternoon and evening.
This is the current radar image. Precip is developing and moving northeast.
You all take care. I’ll issue at least one more update this evening, and/or as needed.
I’ll leave you with a funny story. One time, when it was very cold, I decided to test whether or not hot water froze faster than cold water. I don’t know who got that idea started but I digress. I was probably 10 years old.
Naturally, I decided to test this on our porch steps. I poured the hot water on one side and then I poured the cold water on the other side. I then came back inside. Although clearly a budding scientist, I was also still a very easily distracted kid. I forgot about my experiment.
Some time later, I hear a lot of commotion outside and words I’m not sure a 10-year old should overhear. Dad had gone outside. Dad had discovered my experiment. Dad was on the ground.
I then immediately remembered my experiment and asked dad which side had been slicker?
I’ll just say, for the sake of dad’s reputation, that he didn’t answer me and we’ll leave it at that. (haha)
No matter anyway, because I forgot which side had the hot water and which side had the cold water…. Cut me some slack! I was just a kid.
The experiment was a bust, I’d say, and dad wasn’t seriously injured. Be careful if you wish your child were a budding meteorologist. It might just be the death of ya. LOL!
Also, ice is slick! Be careful!
Have a nice evening!
