SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Good morning! We have some changes to the winter weather outlook as freezing rain is expected to develop later this morning and continue through the afternoon and overnight hours. A Flood Watch is also in effect through Thursday afternoon.
Winter Storm Warning and Winter Weather Advisory through 9 a.m. Wednesday: The National Weather Service has upgraded Sevier, Howard, Hempstead, and Nevada counties in Arkansas to a Winter Storm Warning. Areas in the warning can expect to receive up to a 1/4 to 1/3″ of accumulating ice due to freezing rain. Icing may begin later this morning in these areas and continue through tonight.
The Winter Weather Advisory has been expanded to include much of the I-20 corridor, including the Shreveport/Bossier metro, as well as Minden, Jefferson, and Marshall. If freezing rain develops in these areas it may not be until after sunset, with the potential for icing into early Wednesday morning.
Precipitation timing: We have light rain showers and drizzle moving through the ArkLaTex this morning. Between 6-9 a.m. temperatures will be above freezing in most areas with the exception of northeast Texas and McCurtain County in Oklahoma. If any icing reports are received early in the day it will be in these areas near and north of Interstate-30.
A heavier area of rain and freezing rain will move in during the mid to late morning and continue through the afternoon. Temperatures will also slowly fall from the mid and upper 30s this morning to the low and mid 30s this afternoon. We may see our first burst of accumulating ice with this next round from the late morning through the afternoon in the northern ArkLaTex.
If any ice develops as far south as I-20 it likely won’t be until after sunset, with the potential for freezing rain continuing through early tomorrow morning. If you know freezing rain or sleet is falling in your area, use extreme caution traveling over bridges and overpasses which tend to take on accumulating ice first.
Flood Watch in effect through Thursday afternoon: Temperatures will warm above freezing late tomorrow morning and the ongoing precipitation will change over to mostly liquid rain for the majority of the day Wednesday, and into Thursday morning.
The rain will become heavier and more widespread Wednesday into Wednesday night, and continue through Thursday morning. Widespread accumulations of 2 to 3 inches are possible. This will cause occasional road flooding and rises on lakes and rivers. Many lakes are approaching and are expected to exceed flood stage late this week.
You can check river and lake levels at: https://www.ktalnews.com/weather/lake-levels-and-forecasts/
Dry and warmer closer to the weekend: Most of the rain will end late Thursday into early Friday. Sunshine will return Friday through Sunday with highs temperatures in the 50s and 60s. The weekend looks great!
Fair warning, there looks to be a few days of rain on the way by the middle of next week as well.
