The slow-moving storm we talked about yesterday is STILL sitting over Southern Missouri today:

And take a look at where it will be about 30 hours later… hey, STILL over Missouri:

It won’t be until Thursday that the storm moves just north of us.  That means we stay with clouds, cool temps and the increasing chance of rain.  Right now, it looks like the best shot of rain for everyone will be Wednesday!

Now on to more Winter Safety Awareness week info.  Today we’re talking ice!  Heavy accumulations of ice can bring down trees, utility poles and communication towers.  Utility companies usually work a lot of overtime after a big ice storm, as power and communication equipment can be out.  Much of the time, the damage is so extensive, they have to call in for help from surrounding communities.

Even small accumulations of ice are dangerous to motorists.  It is a must to drive with caution… but even if you’re going slow, your vehicle can easily slide out of control on the ice.  Take it from me, I was driving through our parking lot here at the station last year during an ice storm.  The lot sloped off to the right, and my car suddenly stopped going straight… and started sliding completely to the side, as the ice (and gravity) took over.  Unbelieveable, as I crashed into the building!

Here are the differences between the various types of winter precipitation:

FREEZING RAIN:  Frozen precipitation falls into a warmer airmass near the surface… and melts.  But temperatures AT the surface are below freezing, so the melted precip freezes on contact with objects.  A sheet of ice!

SLEET:  Frozen precipitaiton falls into a warmer airmass above the surface and melts.  Then it moves into a sub-freezing layer before it reaches the surface… and re-freezes into sleet.

SNOW:  Snow falls into cold air, and never  melts.

How much snow will we see this year?  Looking at the current weather pattern, I have a feeling it will be a below-normal year in terms of snowfall… but I think it will be a wet year, nonetheless.  Still, a couple of good snows… and the potential for ice are there, so we should still prepare for the worst!

Jamie