A winter storm is projected to hit western Kentucky, northwestern Tennessee and southern Illinois Tuesday afternoon. The National Weather Service office in Paducah is predicting several inches of snow that could impact travel Tuesday and Wednesday followed by a “dangerous” cold later in the week.
The NWS offices in Paducah and Memphis have issued winter storm warnings for western Kentucky, southern Illinois and northwestern Tennessee starting at noon Tuesday. The winter storm warning for the impacted Kentucky and Illinois areas is valid through Wednesday at 9 a.m., while the warning impacting western Tennessee is valid through noon Wednesday.
Snow is projected to arrive in southern Illinois, western Tennessee and Kentucky’s Jackson Purchase Area between 2 and 5 p.m. on Tuesday and move east into central Tennessee, Indiana and Kentucky’s Pennyrile area between 4 and 7 p.m.
Forecasters with the NWS Paducah office are projecting most areas in southern Illinois and in Kentucky west of Owensboro to receive at least three inches of snow. Counties and cities near the Ohio River, including Paducah, could receive up to eight inches of snow. Across the whole region, forecasters are predicting the storm to end early Wednesday morning between 4 and 7 a.m.
Following the winter storm, much of the region will experience temperatures in the teens to mid-20s Wednesday through Friday. NWS Paducah is also forecasting wind chills to drop into single-digits Tuesday evening, and dip into the negatives by Thursday morning. Officials said these wind chills will be “dangerously cold” for all who are outdoors during the next few days.
