Winter Storm Watch issued for Thursday night and Friday

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
333 PM CST TUE JAN 26 2010

...A SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM IS POSSIBLE ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH
THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY...

.MOISTURE WILL SPREAD INTO THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY ON
THURSDAY...IN ADVANCE OF A STRONG UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM LIFTING
EAST FROM TEXAS. SHALLOW ARCTIC AIR WILL DROP INTO THE MIDSOUTH
LATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS
THAT A PROGRESSIVELY SOUTHWARD CHANGEOVER FROM RAIN TO FREEZING
RAIN...SLEET AND SNOW WILL OCCUR FROM THURSDAY EVENING THROUGH
FRIDAY.

NORTHEAST WINDS OF 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 25 MPH WILL LIKELY
ACCOMPANY THE WINTRY PRECIPITATION. THESE WINDS COULD STRESS ICY
TREE BRANCHES AND POWERLINES...AND COULD LOWER WIND CHILLS INTO
THE SINGLE DIGITS AND TEENS BY FRIDAY MORNING.

AT THIS TIME...THERE REMAINS UNCERTAINTY WITH RESPECT TO THE
ACCUMULATIONS SNOW...SLEET AND ICE. AT THIS EARLY TIME...THE POTENTIAL
EXISTS FOR SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 5 TO 8 INCHES OVER FAR NORTHEAST
ARKANSAS...AND 3 TO 6 INCHES OVER NORTHERN WEST TENNESSEE. FURTHER
SOUTH...THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF ONE QUARTER
INCH TO ONE HALF INCH ALONG THE INTERSTATE 40 CORRIDOR...
INCLUDING THE MEMPHIS METROPOLITAN AREA. THESE ACCUMULATION
POTENTIALS MAY CHANGE AS THE WINTER STORM EVENT APPROACHES. PLEASE
STAY TUNED FOR LATER UPDATES TO THIS WINTER STORM WATCH AND
POSSIBLE WARNINGS AS THE EVENT COMES INTO GREATER FOCUS.


...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY EVENING THROUGH
FRIDAY AFTERNOON...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM
WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY
AFTERNOON.

* THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF ONE QUARTER INCH
TO ONE HALF INCH ALONG THE INTERSTATE 40 CORRIDOR. IN ADDITION
TO THE ICE...SNOWFALL AND SLEET ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES
WILL BE POSSIBLE.

* WINTRY PRECIPITATION IS ANTICIPATED TO BEGIN LATE THURSDAY
EVENING AND PERSIST THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON. LIGHT SNOW OR
FLURRIES MAY OCCUR FRIDAY NIGHT.

* ICE ACCUMULATIONS MAY CREATE DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS.
COMBINED WITH GUSTY NORTHEAST WINDS...THESE ICE ACCUMULATIONS
MAY CREATE STRESS ON TREE LIMBS AND POWERLINES. SNOW
ACCUMULATIONS WOULD MOST LIKELY OCCUR FOLLOWING THE
ACCUMULATIONS OF ICE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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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