Snow Tonight, Cold Tomorrow

We saw a big change in the weather today.  Temperatures were still in the 50s or even 60s in parts of our region this time last night.  However, as arctic air has moved in behind the cold front that passed through this morning, we have seen a serious drop in temperatures.  The graphic below shows the 24 hour temperature change.

24 hour temperature change map valid at 8:00pm CST courtesy of Intellicast

Along with this change in temperatures, many places have received over two inches of precipitation today.  What started as rain has now switched to sleet over most of our area, and some of the rain is freezing underneath it.  In some places north and northwest of Bowling Green, that sleet is already transitioning to snow.  The rest of the area will also see a change over to all snow overnight and early tomorrow morning.

Our entire coverage area is under a WINTER STORM WARNING until noon tomorrow.  As shown in the graphic below, impactful accumulations are expected with this system.  Bowling Green is will likely received 4-6” of snow with lesser accumulations to the south and greater accumulations to the north. The greatest accumulations are expected between Elizabethtown and Lexington. Locally higher amounts are possible.

Forecasted snow totals map courtesy of NWS Louisville

Travel will be rather dangerous tonight and tomorrow.  Roads are already becoming slick, and the conditions will only deteriorate overnight.  Snowfall rates may also be rather intense at times resulting in rapid accumulation and low visibility.  So, do not travel unless it is necessary.

Looking ahead, temperatures will remain cold tomorrow and Friday with highs in the 20s and single digit lows.  However, we will work our way back to the 40s this weekend.  Once this system moves out of our region, high pressure will move in from the west and bring us sunshine through the start of next week.

Forecast:

Tonight:  Cloudy skies, a 100% chance of snow/sleet changing over to all snow, lows near 20°, and winds out of the north at around 10-14 mph.

Tomorrow:  Cloudy skies, a 70% chance of AM snow, highs near 25°, and winds out of the north at around 8-10 mph.

Tomorrow Night:  Partly cloudy skies, lows near 5°, winds out of the north at around 3-6 mph, and wind chill values as low as -3°.

Thanks for reading, and stay safe out there!

-Arden Gregory