Winter storm watch issued for part of the WCBI viewing area

COLUMBUS, Mississippi (WCBI) – A calm, chilly Wednesday and most of Thursday will give way to a winter storm for parts of the region Thursday night late into Friday.

WEDNESDAY: Stubborn clouds will gradually clear up through the afternoon & evening hours, but temperature will struggle to reach 40 degrees. Occasional NW winds up to 15 mph will keep wind chills near or below freezing all day.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Assuming clouds mostly clear, temperatures will plummet into the upper teens and lower 20s area-wide.

THURSDAY: The day begins generally clear and cold, and sunshine should help temperatures reach the low 40s by afternoon.

THURSDAY NIGHT: Clouds will roll in fast, and precip. will slowly trickle in after 6 PM. It will begin as flurries and/or sleet pellets as the atmosphere saturates, but this should generally not result in any issues before midnight. Precipitation intensity will increase after midnight, and travel will worsen accordingly.

FRIDAY: The most active timeframe in the viewing area for winter weather looks to be after midnight Thursday through around lunchtime Friday. Areas along and north of US-82 will see a mixed bag of winter precip (sleet, brief freezing rain, snow) transitioning to mostly snow north of Hwy 8. South of US-82, brief wintry mix is possible Friday morning…but a fairly quick transition to a miserable cold rain is most likely at this point. A transition to rain is also expected for areas near US 82 by lunch as well.

BOTTOM LINE: Travel is most likely to be impacted in the winter storm watch area. Stay tuned for updates, as the “wiggle room” for this system is especially tight.

WEEKEND: Depending on eventual snow cover, temperatures will be impacted across the area. In heavier snowed spots, temperatures will likely stay below freezing…but the entire area should be above 40 degrees by Sunday.