National Weather Service Upgrades Winter Storm Watch to a Winter Storm Warning

Stuff just got real for the entire Tri-State.

Just a quick clarification between a "Watch" and a "Warning"; a "Watch" (which they issued earlier in the week) means conditions will be favorable for whatever is being forecast. It doesn't mean it will happen, it means there's an above-average chance it could.

A "Warning" on the other hand, does mean it they're nearly 100% positive it will happen. That's what we're looking at now.

The new, updated "Warning" goes in effect Thursday evening at 6pm and continues until Friday at 6pm. The full alert, courtesy of the National Weather Service in Paducah, Kentucky reads as follows:

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PADUCAH HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM

WARNING FOR A COMBINATION OF FREEZING RAIN...SLEET AND SNOW...WHICH

IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THURSDAY TO 6 PM CST FRIDAY. THE WINTER

STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

 

* TIMING...FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET WILL OVERSPREAD THE AREA EARLY

THURSDAY EVENING...WITH THE PRECIPITATION TRANSITIONING TO SLEET

AND SNOW OVERNIGHT. THE PRECIPITATION WILL COME TO AN END AS

SNOW FROM WEST TO EAST FRIDAY AFTERNOON.

 

* MAIN IMPACT...SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS OF SLEET...SNOW AND IN

SOME AREAS...ICE...WILL LIKELY RESULT IN TREACHEROUS DRIVING

CONDITIONS THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. IN ADDITION...SOME

ISOLATED POWER OUTAGES CANNOT BE RULED OUT...WHERE FREEZING RAIN

IS MOST PREVALENT...WHICH SHOULD BE IN AREAS CLOSER TO THE OHIO RIVER.

 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

 

A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW...

SLEET...AND ICE ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. STRONG WINDS ARE ALSO

POSSIBLE. THIS WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS OR IMPOSSIBLE. IF

YOU MUST TRAVEL...KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT...FOOD...AND WATER IN

YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.