Major Winter Storm Approaching

January 21, 2016

WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News Staff,

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Weather Update: 12:45 PM Thursday

All of West Tennessee has been upgraded to a WINTER STORM WARNING in effect starting Midnight Friday morning and lasts until 9:00 PM Friday night. This means significant amounts of snow and sleet are expected to occur. With the strong and gusty winds forecasted combined with the heavy snowfall, could produce near-blizzard condition. Travel will be hazardous or near impossible.

Today temperatures are expected to remain above freezing so we are looking at mostly rain this afternoon with the low pressures system arrives. Winds have now shifted and are slowly becoming more breezy out of the north, northeast. The winds will continue to pick up as we go overnight tonight and into Friday.

We could start to see the transition from rain into sleet in the northwest corner of West Tennessee just before midnight tonight. As we go into the overnight the sleet will start to take over. We are expecting ice to continue through the early morning hours until about sunrise. By sunrise, the sleet will start changing into snow along the Mississippi River.

Once the snow takes over after sunrise, all snow remains in the forecast for Friday. Significant snowfall totals are possible with the snow accumulations. Some areas could see heavier bands of snow at times. Indicated by the darker blue color in the snowfall image below. Snow amounts are still adjusting and as of this morning our forecast is still between 3″-7″. This is still subject to change.

Remember the following snowfall totals are still subject to change. Areas along the Mississippi River will see the system come to an end first thus keeping their totals just a bit lower. Localized areas could see higher/lower amounts.