WESTERN Ky. (1/15/2013) – The following report is a combined Winter Weather Advisory/Special Weather Statement from the National Weather Service in Paducah. Readers are encouraged to follow updates as the afternoon progresses and officials track a potentially dangerous weather system through the area, which has the potential to drop significant frozen precipitation in the Western Ky. region.

Affected Areas include:

FULTON-HICKMAN-CARLISLE-BALLARD-MCCRACKEN-GRAVES-LIVINGSTON-MARSHALL-CALLOWAY-CRITTENDEN-LYON-TRIGG-CALDWELL-WEBSTER-HOPKINS-CHRISTIAN-DAVIESS-MCLEAN-MUHLENBERG-TODD-MISSISSIPPI-NEW MADRID ... INCLUDING THE CITIES OF HICKMAN-CLINTON-BARDWELL-WICKLIFFE-PADUCAH-MAYFIELD-SMITHLAND-BENTON-MURRAY-MARION-EDDYVILLE-CADIZ-PRINCETON-DIXON-MADISONVILLE-HOPKINSVILLE-OWENSBORO-CALHOUN-GREENVILLE-ELKTON-CHARLESTON-NEW MADRID

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PADUCAH HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 2 AM CST WEDNESDAY.

* LIGHT FREEZING RAIN OR SLEET WILL LIKELY MOVE NORTH FROM  TENNESSEE INTO SOUTHWEST KENTUCKY BY MID AFTERNOON. THE PRECIPITATION WILL THEN MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS MUCH OF THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE PENNYRILE REGION OF WESTERN KENTUCKY LATE IN THE DAY AND THIS EVENING. THE PRECIPITATION MAY BEGIN BRIEFLY AS LIGHT RAIN.

* FREEZING RAIN AND ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF ONE TO TWO TENTHS OF AN INCH ARE LIKELY SOUTH OF A LINE EXTENDING FROM CLINTON TO CADIZ TO GREENVILLE. LESSER AMOUNTS ARE PROBABLE NORTH OF THIS LINE.

* MOTORISTS DRIVING WITHIN THE ADVISORY AREA TODAY AND TONIGHT SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR NUMEROUS SLICK AREAS...ESPECIALLY ON ELEVATED ROADWAYS AND UNTREATED ROADS. CONDITIONS COULD WORSEN QUICKLY AS DARKNESS APPROACHES LATE IN THE DAY AND INTO THE EARLY EVENING AS SURFACE TEMPERATURES FALL INTO THE UPPER 20S TO NEAR 30...AND FILTERED RADIATION FROM THE SUN IS LOST. TREES AND POWER LINES WILL ALSO LIKELY RECEIVE A COATING OF ICE WITH THIS SYSTEM.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW...SLEET...OR FREEZING RAIN WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SLIPPERY ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES...AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

LIGHT SLEET OR FREEZING RAIN POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY TONIGHT...

A WEAK AREA OF LOW PRESSURE IS FORECAST TO MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST UNITED STATES LATER TODAY AND THIS EVENING. THIS SYSTEM WILL LIKELY SPREAD LIGHT RAIN OR SLEET NORTHWARD ACROSS THE TENNESSEE BORDER THIS AFTERNOON. INITIALLY...SURFACE TEMPERATURES SHOULD RANGE FROM THE MID TO UPPER 30S. HOWEVER...AS WE MOVE INTO THE EVENING HOURS...THESE READINGS MAY FALL TO NEAR OR JUST BELOW FREEZING...CREATING FREEZING RAIN OR SLEET CONDITIONS. THIS COULD CAUSE SOME SLICK AREAS ON ROADWAYS...ESPECIALLY ON ELEVATED ROADS SUCH AS BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES.

PLEASE KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE WEATHER TODAY. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY HAS BEEN POSTED FOR SOUTHERN KENTUCKY COUNTIES ADJACENT TO THE TENNESSEE BORDER. TRAVEL TO AND FROM AFTER SCHOOL OR WORK ACTIVITIES IN SOUTHERN KENTUCKY MAY BECOME SLICK AND HAZARDOUS IN SOME LOCALES...ESPECIALLY CLOSER TO THE TENNESSEE BORDER.

Casey Piscitelli
SurfKY News
Information provided by National Weather Service, Paducah, Ky.

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