The headlining weather story over the next several days will be the long-duration ice storm across portions of the Southern Plains and Mid-South that is ongoing and forecast to continue into Wednesday.
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In the wake of the arctic frontal boundary passage, warm, moist air overrunning cold air along the boundary draped across the region will produce freezing rain and sleet that could lead to significant impacts.
Furthermore, multiple rounds of wintry precipitation are forecast, with light freezing rain and sleet expected through Monday evening and continuing on and off through at least Wednesday.
Widespread ice accumulations of greater than a quarter of an inch are likely, with localized areas receiving as much as half an inch.
In addition to potentially hazardous travel conditions, this amount of ice will lead to tree damage and power outages across the hardest-hit regions.
Sleet accumulations up to a half inch are also possible along the far northern sections of the precipitation shield from northern Texas to northern Arkansas, which can also lead to treacherous travel or add to the already slippery conditions.
As a result, Ice Storm Warnings, Winter Storm Warnings, and Winter Weather Advisories have been issued.
The cold airmass responsible for the icy forecast in the Mid-South will also lead to a frigid start to the new workweek throughout the remainder of the central U.S. and into the western states.
Widespread temperature departures of 20-30 degrees below average are forecast throughout much of the Plains and Intermountain West, with daytime highs in the single digits possible through Wednesday in the northern stretches of the High Plains.
Bitterly cold air, coupled with gusty winds, has led to the issuance of Wind Chill Advisories across the central and northern Plains, with wind chill values forecast to drop to as low as -40F in the Dakotas and Minnesota on Tuesday morning.
Fortunately, the bitter cold airmass will gradually warm through midweek, but temperatures are forecast to still remain below average for a majority of the nation outside of the Southeast.
As the arctic cold front responsible for the wintry conditions across the Southern Plains and Mid-South slowly advances southward, low pressure developing along the boundary will lead to a northward surge of moisture across eastern Texas and Louisiana on Wednesday, producing multiple rounds of heavy rain.
A swath of 1-2" rainfall totals is possible across much of the aforementioned region, leading to a Slight Risk of Excessive Rainfall being issued for eastern Texas and western Louisiana. ■