Winter Storm Watch issued

432 AM CST SUN JAN 25 2009

...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SPRINGFIELD HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON.

SNOW AND SLEET ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP MONDAY AFTERNOON ALONG AND WEST OF HIGHWAY 65...AND SPREAD EAST INTO SOUTH CENTRAL MISSOURI BY EARLY MONDAY EVENING. GIVEN THE AFTERNOON ONSET OF PRECIPITATION ALONG AND WEST OF HIGHWAY 65...THERE MAY BE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS TO THE MONDAY AFTERNOON COMMUTE. THE PRECIPITATION IS THEN EXPECTED TO TRANSITION TO MAINLY SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN MONDAY NIGHT AND FOR MOST OF TUESDAY...WITH MORE SNOW THEN POSSIBLE LATER TUESDAY. HEAVY PRECIPITATION WILL BE POSSIBLE AT TIMES MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY ACROSS SOUTHERN MISSOURI...WITH EVEN A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS. WINTRY PRECIPITATION MAY THEN CONTINUE ACROSS FAR SOUTHERN MISSOURI INTO TUESDAY NIGHT OR POSSIBLY WEDNESDAY.

AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS THAT AREAS ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE INTERSTATE 44 CORRIDOR WILL RECEIVE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET ACCUMULATION...WITH SOME SNOW ACCUMULATION ALSO POSSIBLE. STORM TOTAL SLEET AND SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THIS AREA. FREEZING RAIN ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM AROUND QUARTER TO A THIRD OF AN INCH FROM JOPLIN TO SPRINGFIELD TO ROUND SPRING. AREAS FROM BRANSON TO WEST PLAINS WILL LIKELY RECEIVE A HALF TO THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH OF FREEZING RAIN ACCUMULATION...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE.

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.