The National Weather Service in Paducah KY has issued a freezing rain advisory for all of Southern Illinois, except Randolph and Washington counties, which is under an Ice Storm Warning.

I am going to share two statements.  One is from the NWS in Paducah.  Randolph and Washington counties are under the jurisdiction of the NWS in St. Louis.  Sometimes that is why they have different advisories and warnings.

Here are both statements from each NWS office.

Here is the one from the Paducah office.

…FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM TO 6 PM CST FRIDAY… THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PADUCAH HAS ISSUED A FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM TO 6 PM CST FRIDAY. *

TIMING…LATE TONIGHT THROUGH THE DAY ON FRIDAY. * ICE ACCUMULATIONS…A GLAZE OF ONE TO TWO TENTHS OF AN INCH OF ICE LIKELY MOST AREAS. ACCUMULATIONS CLOSE TO ONE QUARTER OF AN INCH EXPECTED FROM MARBLE HILL TO PERRYVILLE…CARBONDALE AND PINCKNEYVILLE. *

IMPACTS…TRAVEL IMPACTS EXPECTED…ESPECIALLY ON SECONDARY AND UNTREATED ROADS. SIDEWALKS AND PARKING LOTS MAY BE VERY SLICK IF NOT TREATED. VEHICLES WILL ICE OVER. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY MEANS THAT LESS THAN ONE QUARTER INCH OF FREEZING RAIN OR FREEZING DRIZZLE WILL CAUSE HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS. BE PREPARED FOR SLIPPERY ROADS. SLOW DOWN AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.

Here is the one from NWS in St. Louis

…ICE STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM FRIDAY TO NOON CST SUNDAY… THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SAINT LOUIS HAS ISSUED AN ICE STORM WARNING…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM FRIDAY TO NOON CST SUNDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. * TIMING…

FREEZING RAIN WILL OVERSPREAD THE AREA FRIDAY MORNING FROM SOUTH TO NORTH. SIGNIFICANT ICING IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR FROM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING. * ACCUMULATIONS…ONE QUARTER TO THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH OF ICE. *

TEMPERATURES…UPPER 20S TO LOWER 30S. * WINDS…NORTHEAST 5 TO 10 MPH. * IMPACTS…THE ICE WILL RESULT IN HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS…ESPECIALLY ON BRIDGES…OVERPASSES…AND UNTREATED ROADS. PARKING LOTS AND SIDEWALKS WILL BECOME SLIPPERY AS WELL. DAMAGE TO TREES AND POWER LINES IS ALSO POSSIBLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… AN ICE STORM WARNING MEANS THAT A SEVERE AND DANGEROUS AMOUNT OF ICE ACCUMULATION IS OCCURRING OR EXPECTED TO ACCUMULATE… ESPECIALLY ON UNTREATED SURFACES…SUCH AS SIDEWALKS… DRIVEWAYS…ROADS… AND PARKING LOTS. THE HEAVY ICE ACCUMULATIONS WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS OR IMPOSSIBLE.

IF YOU MUST TRAVEL…EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION…AND BEGIN YOUR TRAVEL WITH A FULL TANK OF GAS…AND CARRY A WINTER STORM KIT WHICH INCLUDES A SHOVEL…FLASHLIGHT…CELLPHONE…FOOD AND WATER…AND BLANKETS OF EXTRA WARM CLOTHING. ICE ACCUMULATIONS AND WINDS WILL LIKELY LEAD TO SNAPPED POWER LINES AND FALLING TREE BRANCHES THAT ADD TO THE DANGER. &&

I listened to Dave Murray on a live Facebook  feed from Fox 2 in St Louis.  Summarizing his words, he had Pinckneyville to Salem in the bulls-eye.  I included St. Louis in this for one reason, if you have to go up there for a medical appointment, please consider cancelling.

We will have up to the minute cancellations.  Thank you for your response.  There has been over 3,000 views. – sd

I have spent the last hour or so looking over models trying to get a consensus of the approaching weather system.  It seems like the consensus is the system will be dryer, but more widespread.

As of now the charts have been implying this, but it looks like the northwest part of Franklin County will get the greatest amount of impact with .1″ to .3″ inches of ice expected.  The southeastern part of the county is expected to receive less that .1″ of ice.  The places in between will receive .1″ to .2″ inches of ice.

The freezing line and amount of precipitation that we receive we exactly do not know until it gets on top of us.   There is a strong chance we are going to get ice tomorrow.  Today is the time to prepare.

This is something that we will not be in for several days as of yet, it ought to be something that we should prepare for a Friday at home and some brief power outages.

It is 69 degrees as we speak.  Temperatures will be falling till around 40 by nightfall.  The low is supposed to be 29 this evening.  The changeover from rain to freezing rain will take place between 10 pm to 12 pm.

Here is the products that have been issued by the National Weather Service for Franklin County-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT…GUSTY WINDS TO CONTINUE THIS MORNING…FREEZING RAIN LIKELY FRIDAY…

Freezing rain appears likely Friday across portions of southeast Missouri, southern Illinois and southwest Indiana. The activity could develop into the area before daybreak. It is expected to increase Friday morning, and last through the afternoon and then taper off. Confidence continues to increase the freezing air will make it as far south as a Greenville Missouri, Marion Illinois, Princeton Indiana line.

There may be some impacts to travel, especially on bridges, overpasses, and secondary roads. Sidewalks and parking lots may become quite slick as well. Elevated surfaces will ice. Expect a glaze on automobiles. Impacts to power should be minimal.

Meanwhile this morning, southwest winds will gust from 25 to 35 mph at times. This will cause loose objects to blow around. Travel may be difficult for some high profile vehicles. A cold front will move through this morning and early afternoon from north to south across the area. Winds will shift to the northwest and decrease behind the front.

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS, SOUTHWEST INDIANA, WESTERN KENTUCKY, AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI

. .DAY ONE…TODAY AND TONIGHT A FEW ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE TODAY. WINDS WILL GUST 25 TO 35 MPH THIS MORNING.

FREEZING RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT AND INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI AND SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN…FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY FREEZING RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO BE A THREAT AS WE HEAD THROUGH THE DAY ON FRIDAY ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AND PARTS OF SOUTHWEST INDIANA. FREEZING RAIN IS POSSIBLE GENERALLY NORTH AND WEST OF A LINE FROM POPLAR BLUFF MISSOURI TO EVANSVILLE INDIANA. THE HIGHEST ICE ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED NORTH AND WEST OF A LINE FROM GREENVILLE MISSOURI TO CARBONDALE AND MOUNT VERNON IL.

THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ON MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT…THEN AGAIN TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING. NO WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED. LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS WILL BE THE PRIMARY HAZARDS. THIS PROLONGED PERIOD OF OFF AND ON RAINFALL MAY RESULT IN STANDING WATER IN LOW LYING AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS…ALONG WITH POSSIBLE RISES IN SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS.

Here is a link to the seven day forecast in Franklin County:

orecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?map.x=176&map.y=89&site=pah&zmx=1&zmy=1#.WHeC8NQrJxA

We will keep the social media page updated with new charts and graphs issued.  If there is an advisory or a Winter Storm Watch issued for Franklin County will put this on the website as well as an updated closing and cancellation thread if it warrants.