Winter Storm Warning now in effect: Here’s the latest timeline of impacts

A WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect for the entire Tri-State and will remain in effect until 12 a.m. (Midnight) Tuesday.

REMAINING TIMELINE:
This storm will likely have three "parts" or periods to it, all of which are important. Part one is heavy snow, part two is ice accumulation, and then the final part is another round of light to moderate snowfall. Here is how we expect this to develop.

Part two, which I mentioned earlier, has begin and will last through the early parts of Monday morning. While our temperatures at the surface will remain below freezing in the mid to upper 20s, a warm pocket around a mile up in our atmosphere will change the snow to freezing rain. This is where the biggest ice accumulation is expected. The biggest impact from this will be for areas along and south of the Ohio River, into Northern Kentucky. Where we don't see this occur it should continue to stay as snow, especially as you get further north of the Ohio River.

By daybreak of Monday Morning there will still be areas of freezing rain, but we will likely be in the time period of our lightest precipitation. Drier air will start to impinge the system, creating what we call the "Dry slot." While you may get lulled into sleep thinking that this is the end of the event, we still will have another wave roll in later in the morning and Monday afternoon. This time period will produce some light freezing rain or light snow showers. Accumulation during this time period should be minimal, but still hazardous. That is because wind speeds of 15 to 30 mph will add blowing and drifting snow, limiting visibility and making travel VERY difficult.

After a brief break in the activity Monday morning, wrap-around moisture will push in during the late morning and Monday afternoon, which is when part three of this system starts. This brings in colder air, along with light to moderate snow. Wind speeds will also stay strong. Additional snow from this should be between 2 to 4 inches for most areas as this finally wraps up later in the afternoon and evening Monday.

So time for what you have all been waiting for... How much snow will we get? Many areas already are reporting 6 to 9 inches of snow since the event started and we will see more as we head through Monday. As that wrap around precipitation occurs Monday midday and afternoon, an additional 2 to 4 inches of snow cannot be ruled out.

That means, when all is said and done, snow totals across the Tri-State will range between 8 to 12 inches. Totals are more likely to be lower the further south you get through Northern Kentucky and toward Lexington. While we think most of the area will see 8 to 12 inches of snow, there is a very strong chance that local areas see heavier totals.

ADDITIONALLY, we will see some ice accumulation. This is much more crippling, especially once we start to see 0.25" of ice or more. That is much more likely for areas of Northern Kentucky and towards Lexington. However, areas along the Ohio River could still see close to a tenth (0.10") of an inch of ice, which still creates big travel issues.

Once it is all said and done the story becomes the COLD! Temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday mornings will be into the single digits, so this snow will be around for a while. Wind chills will be into low single digits on Tuesday, if not below zero.

TONIGHT
Heavy snow,
Freezing rain/ice at times
Low: 23

MONDAY
Freezing rain changing back to snow
Cold & breezy
High: 28

MONDAY NIGHT
Dry and breezy
Getting colder
Low: 11

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