Artic air and winter-weather systems will return to the area this weekend. The brief interlude of above-freezing temperatures the region has experienced in the last few days likely will relapse into single-digit temperatures, frozen precipitation and icy roads.
A low-pressure system is expected to move into the Tennessee River Valley from the Northeast on Thursday, according to Ryan Presley, regional forecaster for the National Weather Service in Paducah, Kentucky.
The system is expected to bring rain across the region before mixing with cold artic air from the Northwest, changing the precipitation to a mix of freezing rain and sleet throughout the night.
By Friday, Presley said, Southeast Missouri can expect a "substantial" accumulation of snow.
"Keep a close watch on the forecast and expect potential travel issues Friday," he said. It's too early to predict precise expected accumulation, he said Tuesday.
Presley said to expect rapid drops in temperature when the cold front comes, as much as 15 to 20 degrees within an hour.
Saturday likely will bring temperatures in the 20s before dropping into the teens and single digits again by Sunday. Presley said the expected wind-chill could get as low as zero degrees.