The National Weather Service in Amarillo has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for snow… which is in effect from 6 PM this evening to noon CST Monday for the western Oklahoma Panhandle and northwest Texas Panhandle.
* Timing: light rain is forecast to transition to light snow across the advisory area from late this afternoon through the evening hours.
* Main impact: snowfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches are possible through Monday afternoon.
* Other impacts: this snowfall may result in hazardous travel conditions due to slick and snow packed roads tonight and Monday.
Precautionary/preparedness actions…
A Winter Weather Advisory means that periods of snow… sleet… or freezing rain will cause travel difficulties. Be prepared for slippery roads and limited visibilities… and use caution while
driving.
Forecast timing of the event…
Rain this afternoon will transition over to snow this evening across the western Oklahoma Panhandle and the northwest Texas Panhandle. Snow will slowly spread across the rest of the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandle through the rest of the night. The snow will come to an
end Monday afternoon.
Potential impacts…
Moderate snow will be the main concern with this storm. 2 to 4 inches will be possible generally to the west of a line from Guymon to Dumas to Vega where a Winter Weather Advisory is in
effect tonight through noon Monday. 1 to 3 inches of snow will be possible further to the south across the Texas Panhandle mainly on The Caprock. Winds of 10 to 20 mph with higher gusts are expected. The snow is expected to be wet and heavy… so blowing and drifting snow are not anticipated. Due to the snow… there will be potentially hazardous travel conditions by late tonight… continuing into the day on Monday.
Discussion…
Another winter weather event is still expected to impact the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles beginning tonight and continuing through Monday afternoon. The upper level system responsible for this is moving through southern Arizona and will move across the southern rockies and onto the southern High Plains between now and Monday. Rain is expected to develop across the panhandles this afternoon. The rain will then transition to snow in the western Oklahoma Panhandle and the northwest Texas Panhandle first this evening. The snow will then spread southeast through the night to cover all of the panhandles by Monday morning. The Winter Weather Advisory for 2 to 4 inches of snow across the northwest sections of the area may need to
be expanded further south if the rain transitions to snow earlier resulting in more snow. The latest model guidance suggests that the storm will weaken over New Mexico and then re-intensify as it moves onto the South Plains of Texas. If this happens then… there may be heavier snow south of our area and not as much in the southern Texas Panhandle.
