Chance of rain...light sleet likely and chance of light freezing rain in the evening...then light sleet and snow likely after midnight. Little or no snow and sleet accumulation. Lows in the upper 20s. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation 70 percent.
Wednesday
Periods of light sleet and snow. Highs in the mid 30s. North winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts to around 30 mph. Chance of precipitation 80 percent.
Windy...snow. Areas of blowing snow. Light snow accumulations. Lows in the mid 20s. North winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts to around 30 mph increasing to 20 to 30 mph with gusts to around 45 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation 80 percent.
Thursday
Windy. Snow likely. Blowing snow. Moderate snow accumulations. Near steady temperature in the mid 20s. Chance of precipitation 70 percent.
... Blizzard watch remains in effect from Wednesday evening through Thursday afternoon...
A blizzard watch remains in effect from Wednesday evening through Thursday afternoon.
* Rain, or a wintry mix of freezing drizzle or sleet is expected to develop across portions of southwest Kansas late Wednesday, before transitioning to areas snow Wednesday night. The precipitation will continue turning to all snow on Christmas eve day.
* In addition to the falling snow... very strong north winds in excess of 35 mph with gusts as high as 50 mph are expected by late morning Christmas eve day, and continuing through the day. This would create significant blowing and drifting snow with widespread blizzard conditions possible.
* Periods of snow are expected from Wednesday night through Christmas eve day. It is too early to say exactly how much snow will fall, but significant accumulations of 4 to 9 inches are possible north of a Garden City to Medicine Lodge line, with highest amounts possible near Interstate 70, while areas farther west near the Colorado line and Oklahoma Panhandle will receive less than 3 inches.
Precautionary/preparedness actions...
A blizzard watch means there is a potential for falling and/or blowing snow with strong winds and extremely poor visibilities. This can lead to whiteout conditions and make travel very dangerous.