The possibility of a rare mid-November snow has area highway crews and schools on alert today.
Butler County and the surrounding region could see 2-3 inches by Thursday morning, with up to 5 inches in some northern counties, according to the National Weather Service. Light snowfall is expected to start between 5-6 p.m.
The majority of accumulation will likely occur after midnight. Very little, if any sleet or ice is expected for Butler County and the surrounding area.
There have been fewer than a dozen November snowfalls in over 100 years of record keeping for Poplar Bluff, according to the Western Regional Climate Center. Only five of those had snowfalls greater than 2 inches.
A conference call with the NWS, educators, highway crews and first responders was planned for 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.
"This is probably several weeks earlier," said meteorologist Rachel Trevino. "This is definitely interesting. It's pretty early for this type of winter event around here."
Highs today will be in the 30s, Trevino said. That's just over half the normal average.
Butler County highway crews expect to have all approximately 150 miles of asphalt roads salted by noon today, according to Robby Moore, highway superintendent.
Salt was only used once last year, toward the end of the winter, and twice the year before, Moore said. It has been at about two years since plow crews were needed.
An approximately 3-inch snow fell Nov. 16-17, 2014, near Poplar Bluff, according to the NWS. It was the third highest recorded November snowfall.
That winter saw about 12 inches of snow, compared to less than four inches annually for the two following winters, the WRCC reports.
Poplar Bluff city street crews also planned to spend the day putting salt out on main and secondary roads, said Jerry Lawson, street superintendent. Lawson expected to know more by 2-3 p.m., as the front moved closer.
Brick streets, which tend to get slick first, would also be a top priority, he said.
County and city departments plan to monitor the weather overnight to determine when or if plow crews are needed
"We'll just have to see how quickly it comes down," Moore said.
Poplar Bluff schools will also spend the afternoon and evening watching the weather, said Dr. Scott Dill, superintendent.
"Whenever there's snow on the horizon, that begins a communitywide and regionwide conversation," he said.
The district's top priority is safety and the weather will be monitored closely, according to Dill, who was scheduled to participate in the NWS conference call.
"This is a decision that I know impacts lives significantly and it is never one that is taken lightly," he said.
A decision will be made as soon as possible on Thursday classes, after consulting both the forecast and other districts in the area.
Lows tonight will be in the upper 20s and in the mid-20s tomorrow, Trevino said.