Area forecast discussion from the National Weather Service, Norman

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
410 PM CST MON DEC 24 2012

.DISCUSSION…
A WINTER STORM WILL IMPACT PORTIONS OF OK BEGINNING LATE TONIGHT
AND ENDING LATE TOMORROW NIGHT FROM WEST TO EAST. FOR
TONIGHT…CIRRUS WILL CONTINUE WITHIN WSW FLOW ALOFT AHEAD OF THE
DIGGING SHORTWAVE TROUGH NOW NEARING THE FOUR CORNERS REGION. WAA
TONIGHT COMBINED WITH A WEAK INITIAL MID TO UPPER SHORTWAVE TROUGH
MOVING OVERHEAD WILL RESULT IN SOME PRECIP/CONVECTION DEVELOPING
ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL/SW OK. PROFILES SUGGEST SLEET/SNOW ALONG AND
NORTH OF I44 WITH RAIN ELSEWHERE.

AS THE MID TO UPPER LOW MOVES OVER THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE EARLY
TOMORROW MORNING…POPS SHOULD RAPIDLY BEGIN TO INCREASE ACROSS
WEST CENTRAL/NW OK. MOST SOLUTIONS HAVE BEEN TRENDING TOWARDS THE
SURFACE LOW REMAINING A BIT FURTHER TO THE SOUTH…AND THUS
HEAVIER PRECIPITATION WITHIN A ZONE FROM WEST CENTRAL OK ESE
TOWARDS SE/E CENTRAL OK. ALTHOUGH WARM NOSE TEMPS WILL INITIALLY
SUPPORT SOME BRIEF SLEET OR FREEZING RAIN ALONG I44…RAPID
DIABATIC COOLING WILL RESULT IN MOSTLY SNOW AFTER LUNCHTIME. THE
HEAVIEST SNOW IS EXPECTED IN THE MIDDLE OF CHRISTMAS DAY ACROSS
CENTRAL OK WHEN/WHERE SNOW GROWTH EFFICIENCY AND LIFT WILL BE
MAXIMIZED. ALTHOUGH WIND SPEEDS SHOULD REMAIN JUST BELOW BLIZZARD
THRESHOLDS…WHITEOUT CONDITIONS REMAIN VERY POSSIBLE. THIS WILL
BE WATCHED CLOSELY. SNOW AMOUNTS WILL RANGE FROM 4-6 INCHES ACROSS
PORTIONS OF CENTRAL OK…WITH LOCATIONS UNDER THE HEAVIEST BANDS
LIKELY EXCEEDING 6 INCHES. AT THE CURRENT MOMENT…THE MOST LIKELY
AREAS FOR THIS TO OCCUR APPEARS TO BE VERY CLOSE OR JUST SOUTH OF
THE OKC METRO. WE HAVE UPGRADED ALL ZONES TO EITHER A WINTER STORM
WARNING OR WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT TO MIDNIGHT.

AFTER THE SNOW QUICKLY ENDS TOMORROW NIGHT…WIND CHILLS LESS THAN
ZERO ON WED MORNING WILL ALSO PRESENT A PROBLEM. A WIND CHILL
ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED FOR PORTIONS OF OK WED MORNING. ONLY A
VERY SLOW WARMUP IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEK…WITH
PERHAPS ANOTHER SLIGHT CHANCE OF WINTRY PRECIPITATION FRIDAY FROM
I35 EASTWARD.

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