Forecast for Christmas, including the Oklahoma Panhandle, from the National Weather Service, Amarillo, Texas

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
340 PM CST FRI DEC 21 2012

CIMARRON-TEXAS-BEAVER-DALLAM-SHERMAN-HANSFORD-OCHILTREE-LIPSCOMB-
HARTLEY-MOORE-HUTCHINSON-ROBERTS-HEMPHILL-OLDHAM-POTTER-CARSON-
GRAY-WHEELER-DEAF SMITH-RANDALL-ARMSTRONG-DONLEY-COLLINGSWORTH-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…BOISE CITY…KEYES…GUYMON…BEAVER…
FORGAN…DALHART…STRATFORD…SPEARMAN…GRUVER…PERRYTON…
BOOKER…HIGGINS…FOLLETT…HARTLEY…CHANNING…DUMAS…
BORGER…MIAMI…CANADIAN…VEGA…AMARILLO…PANHANDLE…
WHITE DEER…PAMPA…SHAMROCK…WHEELER…HEREFORD…CANYON…
CLAUDE…CLARENDON…WELLINGTON
340 PM CST FRI DEC 21 2012

…WINTER PRECIPITATION EXPECTED CHRISTMAS DAY…

AN UPPER TROUGH WILL APPROACH THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES
CHRISTMAS EVE AND CHRISTMAS DAY AS A COLD FRONT SURGES SOUTHWARD
ACROSS THE PANHANDLES CHRISTMAS EVE NIGHT. ALTHOUGH VERY DRY
CONDITIONS WILL EXIST THROUGH THE WEEKEND…LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL
RETURN TO THE PANHANDLES EARLY NEXT WEEK AS UPSLOPE SOUTHEASTERLY AND
EASTERLY SURFACE WINDS RETURN. THE COMBINATION OF COLD AIR AND
INCREASING LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AHEAD OF THE UPPER TROUGH WILL ALLOW
FOR SNOW TO DEVELOP LATE CHRISTMAS EVE NIGHT THROUGH CHRISTMAS DAY.

THERE ARE STILL A LOT OF UNCERTAINTIES WITH REGARDS TO THE TRACK AND
TIMING OF THE STORM SYSTEM. AT THIS TIME THE BEST CHANCES FOR SNOW
WILL BE ACROSS THE NORTHEAST QUADRANT OF THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA
PANHANDLES WHERE UP TO THREE INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE…MAINLY ALONG
AND EAST OF A DALHART TO SHAMROCK LINE. ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE
TEXAS PANHANDLE…LESS THAN AN INCH OF SNOW IS EXPECTED CHRISTMAS EVE
NIGHT AND CHRISTMAS DAY. STRONG WINDS MAY ALSO LEAD TO BLOWING OF THE
SNOW REDUCING VISIBILITIES. THE SNOW IS EXPECTED TO END FROM WEST TO
EAST BY SUNSET CHRISTMAS NIGHT.

IF YOU ARE PLANNING HOLIDAY TRAVEL ACROSS THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA
PANHANDLES…PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE LATEST FORECASTS…STATEMENTS
OR ADVISORIES FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AMARILLO BY
VISITING OUR WEB PAGE AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/AMA…FOLLOWING NWS AMARILLO
ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER…LISTENING TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO…OR
THROUGH YOUR PREFERED MEDIA OUTLET.

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