Snowfall accumulation forecast increases for Gulf Coast; Winter storm warning in effect

WEAR TV — Snowfall Tuesday is imminent, and accumulations could reach as high as five inches for some areas along our Panhandle area of ​​the Gulf Coast.

Although it is difficult to predict accumulation, it appears that significant snowfall is likely. It’s safe to say 2-4 inches of snow is likely, but some areas could see higher totals.

It looks like this will be more of a snow event than anything else. Although there is still a chance of a wintry mix along the immediate coast rather than straight snow. Rain and/or freezing rain can be mixed in. Freezing rain is when rain falls to the surface and then turns to ice.

A rare one Winter storm warning is now in effect for areas along the Gulf Coast through Tuesday.

When it’s freezing cold on the Gulf Coast, the air is usually dry and the sky is clear. In this rare situation, low pressure over the Gulf of Mexico will send moisture into a cold air pocket over the coast, resulting in snowfall.

The timing of this event appears to be as early as Tuesday morning (9-10am) and end Tuesday evening (9-10pm). Our internal model (GRAF) now takes the same idea as the EURO and GFS models and spreads snow over the entire area.

Wind chill lows will be in the teens and maybe even single digits Tuesday and Wednesday morning. Some areas may not get above freezing on Tuesday. Because of that fact, an extreme cold warning is in effect until Wednesday morning.

Depending on how much snow falls, much of it will likely stick through Wednesday and Wednesday night. With highs in the 40s on Thursday, most of that should start to dissipate by Thursday.