As we inch closer to Christmas, a winter storm system approaches. Today will start will some sunshine after it rises before clouds increase later in morning and afternoon. Temperatures are running cold thanks to the clearing overnight, but a breezy southwesterly wind will warm us into the middle or even upper 50s this afternoon. Rain showers will not arrive until this evening.
You’ll notice some changes this afternoon as the winter storm system approaches. Winds, breezy out of the southwest will gust between 30 and 40 mph at times due to the strong nature of the front about to move in. Thanks to the wind, and morning sun, temperatures will warm quickly to nearly 15 degrees above seasonal norms. Cosmetically, skies will become cloudier as the day drags on, due to the increase in higher level moisture. There may be a few light rain or drizzle showers in the early evening, but most rain holds off until the late evening and overnight hours. Rain will become widespread through about 4:00 am and some showers could be moderate at times. The timing of the snow looks to have been pushed back a little, with the changeover happening somewhere around the mid-morning hours for the I-65 corridor, late morning for the Bluegrass and the early to mid-afternoon for counties east of I-75. A sharp clearing line will sweep in less than 50 miles behind the changeover line, meaning that snow will not have enough time to really put down large numbers. In addition to this, pavement temperatures will still be too warm for meaningful road collection. Snow will mostly be limited to grassy and other cool surfaces, along with bridges and overpasses. Snow amounts look to fall in the trace to 1” range for counties near and next to I-75. Higher amounts between 1” and 4” are possible in eastern counties with the highest amounts along the Tug Fork and the spine of the Cumberland Mountains. Widespread snow will come to an end this evening with only flurry or light snow showers falling overnight into Christmas morning.
