Winter Storm Tonight

WINTER STORM SATURDAY EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT... .A LONG DURATION WINTER STORM WILL IMPACT THE REGION SATURDAY EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT...BRINGING SIGNIFICANT SNOW AND SLEET ACCUMULATIONS...AS WELL AS POTENTIALLY RECORD BREAKING ARCTIC AIR. PRECIPITATION WILL SPREAD SOUTHEAST INTO THE AREA LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON...INCREASING IN INTENSITY SATURDAY NIGHT. PERIODS OF MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY PRECIPITATION WILL REDEVELOP SUNDAY INTO SUNDAY EVENING BEFORE ENDING LATE SUNDAY NIGHT. A COMBINATION OF BITTERLY COLD ARCTIC AIR AT THE SURFACE AND SIGNIFICANTLY WARMER AIR ALOFT WILL RESULT IN A MIXTURE OF BOTH SLEET AND SNOW. THE BEST CHANCE FOR AN ALL SNOW EVENT WILL BE ALONG AND NORTH OF A ST. JOSEPH TO KIRKSVILLE LINE...WITH SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SLEET POSSIBLE SOUTH OF I-70. TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS WILL LIKELY VARY SIGNIFICANTLY ACROSS THE REGION...DUE TO BOTH NARROW BANDS OF HEAVIER PRECIPITATION...AS WELL AS THE UNCERTAINTY OF HOW MUCH SLEET WILL REDUCE OVERALL SNOWFALL TOTALS. ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 AM CST MONDAY... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR PERIODS OF HEAVY SLEET AND SNOW... WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 AM CST MONDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. * LOCATION...ALL OF CENTRAL AND WEST CENTRAL MISSOURI. * TIMING...SNOW AND SLEET ARE EXPECTED TO OVERSPREAD THE REGION SATURDAY EVENING...BECOMING HEAVY AT TIMES OVERNIGHT AND INTO THE DAY SUNDAY. PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY END FROM WEST TO EAST SUNDAY EVENING. * ACCUMULATIONS...SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOW AND SLEET ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA...AND PRECIPITATION TYPES MAY BE MIXED OR ALTERNATE BETWEEN SNOW AND SLEET. SLEET ACCUMULATION IN EXCESS OF ONE TO TWO INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE...IN ADDITION TO MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS TOTALING 4 TO 7 ADDITIONAL INCHES. TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS MAY VARY SIGNIFICANTLY OVER SHORT DISTANCES DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH SLEET FALLS VERSUS SNOW AND WHERE THE HEAVIER BANDED SNOW FORMS. * IMPACTS...THE COMBINATION OF MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY SLEET AND SNOW WILL CAUSE ROADWAYS TO BECOME SNOW AND ICE PACKED. WINDS BETWEEN 15 AND 20 MPH WILL CAUSE VISIBILITY PROBLEMS THROUGH THE DAY ON SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT. * TEMPERATURES...BITTERLY COLD AIR WILL FOLLOW THIS WINTER STORM. HIGH TEMPERATURES SUNDAY WILL ONLY REACH NEAR 10 DEGREES. EXPECT LOWS ON MONDAY MORNING TO BE BETWEEN 0 AND 5 DEGREES BELOW ZERO RANGE. NORTH WINDS BETWEEN 10 AND 15 MPH WILL CAUSE WIND CHILL VALUES TO DROP TO BETWEEN 15 AND 20 DEGREES BELOW ZERO EARLY MONDAY MORNING.