Winter Storm Watch for Memphis - Thursday, January 7, 2010

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NWS-MEMPHIS TN / MEMPHISWEATHER.NET
600 AM CST TUE JAN 5 2010

...COLD WIND CHILLS EXPECTED THIS MORNING... THEN A POTENTIAL WINTER STORM MAY IMPACT THE AREA FOR LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY...

.A VERY COLD AIRMASS HAS OVERSPREAD THE AREA THIS MORNING. TEMPERATURES IN THE LOWER TO MID TEENS COMBINED WITH WINDS OF 5 TO 10 MPH WILL PRODUCE WIND CHILLS OF ZERO TO 5 BELOW EARLY THIS MORNING ACROSS MUCH OF WEST TENNESSEE INCLUDING THE MEMPHIS METRO AREA.

THEN AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE AND AN ASSOCIATED STRONG... ARCTIC COLD FRONT WILL SWING SOUTH INTO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING. THIS WILL SPREAD SNOW ACROSS THE ENTIRE MIDSOUTH... WITH MODERATE ACCUMULATIONS POSSIBLE NORTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI/TENNESSEE STATE LINE. GUSTY WINDS BEHIND THE COLD FRONT MAY ALSO LEAD TO SOME BLOWING SNOW THURSDAY.


...WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CST THIS MORNING NORTH OF MEMPHIS...
...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A WIND CHILL ADVISORY... WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CST THIS MORNING FOR COUNTIES NORTH OF I-40... NOT INCLUDING SHELBY COUNTY. A WINTER STORM WATCH HAS ALSO BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL OF WEST TENNESSEE AND NORTHEAST ARKANSAS. THIS WINTER STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON. NORTH MISSISSIPPI IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE WATCH AT THIS TIME.

* WIND CHILL READINGS WILL BE NEAR OR SLIGHTLY BELOW ZERO THROUGH 9 AM THIS MORNING NORTH OF THE METRO AREA.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 3 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING ACROSS THE METRO AREA... ESPECIALLY NORTH OF THE TENNESSEE/MISSISSIPPI STATE LINE. AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS NORTH MISSISSIPPI. SNOW WILL LIKELY START AFTER MIDNIGHT /EARLY THURSDAY MORNING/ AND TAPER OFF BY NOON THURSDAY.

* NORTHWEST WINDS BETWEEN 15 AND 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 30 MPH ARE POSSIBLE THURSDAY BEHIND THE STRONG COLD FRONT. TEMPERATURES WILL LIKELY FALL THROUGH THE AFTERNOON THURSDAY.

* THE COMBINATION OF FRESHLY FALLEN SNOW AND GUSTY WINDS MAY LEAD TO SOME BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW THURSDAY.

* THIS IS THE FIRST WINTER STORM OF THE SEASON AND IS EXPECTED TO HIT THE MIDSOUTH DURING RUSH HOUR THURSDAY MORNING. EXPECT HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS THROUGH THURSDAY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WIND CHILL ADVISORY MEANS THAT VERY COLD AIR AND STRONG WINDS WILL COMBINE TO GENERATE LOW WIND CHILLS. THIS WILL RESULT IN FROST BITE AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN. IF YOU MUST VENTURE OUTDOORS... MAKE SURE YOU WEAR A HAT AND GLOVES.

A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW... SLEET... OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.

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