The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for our area Tuesday morning through the evening hours:
URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
500 AM EST MON FEB 25 2013…WINTER STORM POSSIBLE TUESDAY INTO TUESDAY NIGHT…
A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL DEVELOP OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS TODAY AND MOVE INTO THE OHIO VALLEY BY TOMORROW. DEEP MOISTURE AND STRONG UPPER LEVEL FORCING ASSOCIATED WITH THIS LOW WILL SPREAD AREAS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE REGION TOMORROW INTO TOMORROW NIGHT. TEMPERATURES AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT WILL BE HOVERING NEAR THE FREEZING MARK…BRINGING A THREAT OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET ALONG WITH SNOW. HEAVY SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE MAINLY WEST OF INTERSTATE 69 WITH ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 7 INCHES POSSIBLE. FREEZING RAIN WITH SOME SNOW IS LIKELY ALONG AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 69 WHERE ICE ACCUMULATIONS UP TO ONE QUARTER INCH WILL BE POSSIBLE.
THE EXACT LOCATIONS OF HEAVY SNOWFALL AND ICE ACCUMULATIONS ARE STILL IN QUESTION AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE. THERE IS ALSO A CONCERN THAT SOME AREAS MAY CHANGEOVER TO RAIN DURING THE EARLY AFTERNOON. HOWEVER…THERE IS ENOUGH CONFIDENCE TO WARRANT A WINTER STORM WATCH TO ALERT EVERYONE OF THE POTENTIAL AND BEGIN PREPARATIONS IF WARNINGS OR ADVISORIES ARE ISSUED.
…WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING…
HAZARDOUS WEATHER…
* SIGNIFICANT ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF UP TO ONE QUARTER INCH ARE POSSIBLE TUESDAY MORNING ACROSS PARTS OF NORTHERN INDIANA AND NORTHWEST OHIO…MAINLY ALONG AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 69.
* PERIODS OF SNOW ARE ALSO EXPECTED ON TUESDAY WITH LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS POSSIBLE.
IMPACTS…
* TRAVEL WILL LIKELY BE HAMPERED BY THE WINTRY WEATHER TUESDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT.
* ICE ACCUMULATIONS ON TREES AND POWER LINES MAY CAUSE POWER OUTAGES.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW…SLEET…OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS FOR CHANGES IN LOCATION…PRECIPITATION TYPE AND AMOUNTS.