Forecasted snow envelopes Southeast Missouri; 4 inches covers much of the region

Officials with the National Weather Service were spot on in their forecasts for a winter storm enveloping Southeast Missouri.

Thursday, Jan. 9, Justin Gibbs of the National Weather Service office in Paducah, Kentucky, said models and observed conditions pointed to a storm, beginning early Friday morning and continuing throughout Friday, Jan. 10, that would dump an average of 4 to 6 inches of snow in the region, with local totals perhaps reaching 7 inches.

“Four or more inches of snow is very likely” throughout Southeast Missouri, he said. “We have higher confidence than normal that this is going to be a substantial storm for everybody across the area.”

As of 11 a.m. Friday, observation posts from around the region reported snowfall totals of around 4 inches, with snow continuing to fall. Cape Girardeau and Sikeston reported 3 inches as of 10:30 a.m., while Poplar Bluff reported 4 inches as of about 8 a.m. According to an NWS map, 4 inches of snow was consistent in southern Missouri as far westward as Poplar Bluff and Fredericktown, with 3 inches the standard farther east. The snowfall is moving from west to east.

The falling snow would be somewhat unusual for the region, Gibbs said, because cold temperatures already in place would make the snow drier than normal. The lighter-weight snow would likely not produce many power outages, he noted.

“But there is some concern about wet snow adding weight to power lines and trees,” he said.

Ameren Missouri reported 99 customers without power as of 11:15 a.m. All of those were near Fredericktown. SEMO Electric Cooperative, which serves an area from north of Jackson south to New Madrid and from Wayne County in the west to the Mississippi River in the east, reported no outages at the time. Ozark Border Electric Co., centered in Poplar Bluff, also reported no outages Friday morning.

Gibbs said temperatures will not rise much above freezing for several days, which will lead to only gradual melting. He said melting that occurs during daytimes will refreeze at night, leading to travel difficulties.

“A winter weather advisory is inconvenient. A winter storm is a big deal,” he said. “We advise against any unnecessary travel.”

For more information about the storm, visit NWS for forecast information and road conditions or Missouri Department of Transportation or through the MoDOT app for road conditions.