9:30am Weather Update

Things are still looking on track with winter storm moving through the Midwest today.  I have already seen reports of 3" to 5" of snow across the St. Louis area and 1" to 3" across central Indiana.

National radar composite from 10:23am CT.

I have been hearing several people complain about rain falling this morning in parts of Missouri and Indiana.  Keep in mind, all day yesterday I had said there would be rain in the morning and it would change over to snow in the afternoon.  That is still expected to happen in a couple of hours.  Patience.

I have been taking a quick glance at some of the data coming in this morning.  I'm feeling pretty good with most of my snow forecast but I am going to make a few minor tweaks.

SNOW FORECAST

ILLINOIS:

• Mt. Vernon:  8"-11"

INDIANA:

• Columbus:  4"-7"
• Indianapolis:  8"-12" (Locally higher amounts possible.)
• Lafayette:  9"-13"

MISSOURI:

• Cape Girardeau:  4"-7"
• Poplar Bluff:  4"-7"
• St. Louis:  8"-11" (Locally higher amounts possible.)

FREAK-OUT-METER

Normally the Freak-Out-Meter is based off precipitation but this time the numbers are going to be a little higher because I'm combining snow with the dangerous cold air coming in.

Keep in mind, the Freak-Out-Meter is based on a 0-10 scale.

ILLINOIS:

• Mt. Vernon: 7

INDIANA:

• Columbus: 6
• Indianapolis: 8
• Lafayette: 8

MISSOURI:

• Cape Girardeau: 6
• Poplar Bluff: 6
• St. Louis: 8

BOTTOM LINE

• Snow will continue through Sunday afternoon/night.
• For places like Poplar Bluff, Cape Girardeau, and Columbus (IN) there will likely be a period of rain during the morning.  It should change over to snow by late morning/early afternoon.
• The snow could be heavy at times during the afternoon with snow rates in excess of 1" per hour.
• Winds will increase and there will be drifting snow.
• COLD air will arrive Sunday and linger through Tuesday.  Wind chills will drop to -30° to -40° in some areas.
• Because of the cold air coming, be sure to not have your gas tank on empty.  Gas could freeze if your car is parked outside.
• Travel is not advised Sunday night and Monday.  If you must go out, be sure to have blankets and other survival items in your vehicle in case you get stranded.
• Be extremely careful when you go out to shovel snow Sunday evening and Monday morning.  I'm not talking about slick spots in the driveway, but be careful of the bitterly cold air.  Frostbite will be a serious concern.

As always, for more frequent updates follow me on Twitter: @johndissauer.