Monster Snow Storm about to commence

Tonight's computer models continue to indicate a snow event that will bury parts of the Central Plains into the Midwest. The top image is a computer projection of snow depth by early Wednesday morning. The bottom is our FOX16 high resolution RPM total snowfall projection through Tuesday night. Both show a stripe of 1 to 2 feet of snow from Central Oklahoma and into Missouri with some even higher amounts possible. This storm will essentially shut down some cities by Tuesday afternoon including places like Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Springfield, MO, St. Louis and eventually Chicago. The heavy band of snow will cut through Northwest Arkansas, with over a foot around the Fayetteville area. North Central Arkansas, around the Harrison area, precipitation will begin as rain but quickly change to freezing rain Tuesday morning and then to snow by midday. Snow and ice accumulations will drop of rapidly going South and East. Very little or no snow accumulation is expected East of Russellville and South of Clinton. A slight shift in the track of the low pressure system will have a significant influence on snowfall amounts.

Tuesday Snowfall Forecast

This one is going to be a rain maker for Central Arkansas, but Northwest Arkansas into Oklahoma and Missouri is going to get hammered by snow. Up to a foot of snow is likely around the Fayetteville area with even heavier amounts into Northeast Oklahoma where up to 20" is expected. Travel is not recommended tomorrow, especially along I-40 West of Ft. Smith which may have to be shut down for a period of time due to heavy snow and poor visibility. Across North Central Arkansas from North and West of Russellville to North of Clinton, rain will change to freezing rain and then over to snow. The freezing rain won't last long, keeping ice accumulations under a quarter of an inch, which isn't enough to bring down many trees and power lines. Snowfall amounts will be about 1 to 3 inches with heavier amounts North and West. Thunderstorms will be the main concern South of Little Rock, where some storms may briefly become severe along a strong cold front. The front will usher in much colder air Tuesday night into Wednesday. Most roads will have a chance to dry off before the temperature drops below freezing Tuesday night, so icy road conditions will only be very isolated in Central Arkansas going into Wednesday morning.

Overall, this storm system will be beneficial to Central Arkansas because we need the rain after a very dry January. Many areas received less than half the normal rainfall, leading to dry soil conditions and high grass fire danger.

Winter Storm Getting Closer

Another strong winter storm is ready to blow through the mid-section of the U.S. tomorrow. In the video I describe how it will impact Arkansas. I hope you enjoy.

The Future Won't Be So Beautiful

I apologize for the lack of video updates but the software is malfunctioning again.  I should have it resolved once and for all tomorrow.  In the meantime here is a thorough update to what is going on across the state.

REST OF TODAY:  Obviously if you can't tell, it is not as bright or as warm as yesterday.  I know, I know...I wish it could be nice again but let's be real...It's still Janurary and we got spoiled on Saturday. Nevertheless, a weak cold front is slowly diving in from the north and it is now just knocking on Little Rock's doorstep.  The fact that the front arrived so late today and we managed to break out into sunshine this morning, created an atmosphere where temperatures surge to the upper 60's.  Of course, all that is changing with the cooler air invading from the north and cloud cover quickly rapping up.  Not only is the cold front creating a cooler feeling for our friends to the north but it is also spawning a few isolated storms especially in central Saline County.  These storms are the not the fastest and could lead to localized flooding so be careful if you live north of Benton.

Through the evening and overnight hours we'll keep the cloud cover in tact while our winds fetch in cooler air.  An isolated shower or storm can't be ruled out especially if you live south of Little Rock.  At this point it looks like a safe bet that temperatures will slowly back down to the 40's after midnight.

MONDAY:  Due to the northeast/east wind and a good low cloud deck overhead we'll struggle to get back to the 50's tomorrow.  You won't have to worry about heavy rain as there appears to be little if any lift in the atmosphere on this day.  Although, we may have a few spots in Arkansas that could receive some spotty drizzle at times.

TUESDAY:  Mother Nature has a nasty storm system developing in our backyard...Literally.  A deep surface low will develop in Texas and mature over our great state on this day.  What does that mean for us?  Well for one thing plan on a lot of heavy rain.  So get those umbrellas ready.  Short term models are spitting out 1-2" of the wet stuff on Tuesday.  In addition to the damp scenery we have the potential for snow in the northwest tip of the state.  Current data suggests anywhere from 3-6" of snow will just glace the northwest border hence the Winter Storm Warning posted for this region.  To top it off we could see a good dose of Freezing Rain north and west of Russellville.  Oh and were not done yet.  I haven't even mention the winds.  Due to the low pressure system being so close we could experience winds as high as 20 to 30 mph on the same day....What a messy day.  We'll continue to keep an eye on this system and give you the latest updates after the Pro Bowl tonight.

MID-WEEK:  A cold front follows behind the low pressure system and places us back into cold air.  High's will struggle to get back above freezing.  Meanwhile overnight low's will fall down to the low 20's and teens.  On the bright side the sunshine will be coming back to the state.

SUPER BOWL WEEKEND: Saturday looks questionable as an upper level low staggers through southeast Arkansas.  This feature will kick up some cloud cover and even the possibility of a wintry mix for those who live in the southern border.  No significant accumulation is expected at this time.  However, Super Bowl Sunday looks decent with temperatures returning to the 50's under a fair amount of sunshine.

That's it folks.  Enjoy the warmth while you can because the arctic air is coming.

Beautiful Weather Continues

Today and next few days will feature great weather, but what about next week? Will it be as much a treat as today? Find out in the video.

Sunny Sunshine

TODAY: Get ready for a full dose of sunshine and mild temperatures this afternoon.  With a huge low pressure over to our northeast and a weak high sitting in the Gulf of Mexico, we'll manage to switch our winds from the north to the south-southwest.  This event will lead to warmer temperatures climbing well into the 50's.

LATER THIS WEEK:  This pattern won't change as we close out the week.  The sunshine will keep on coming while temperatures hit the 60's by Friday.

WEEKEND: A strong cold front remains north of Arkansas and our mild streak continues into Saturday.  I expect temperatures to make strides for the 60's.  The cold front begins its decent toward us on Sunday, thus forcing temperatures to sink a little cooler into the 50's.

EARLY NEXT WEEK: The mighty cold front is here by Monday which will lead temperatures to sink to the 30's and 40's.  Scattered showers are also on tab as well which will only make it feel worst out there.  The weather may improve as we move closer to the latter half of the week but it's too early to tell at this point.

Alright you've been filled in for today.  Have a great afternoon and be sure to watch Jeff Baskin at 5,9 and 10 tonight.

Rainy To Our East

Rain resides east of Little Rock this morning and will continue to do so this afternoon. A glimpse of some sunlight could be found late into the day (just like yesterday). Meanwhile temperatures are aiming for the 40's (shocking, I know) The weather will certainly improve later this week. Click on the video if you want the juicy details.