Winter storm warning update for Joplin area

(From the National Weather Service at 12:04 p.m.)

WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING...

A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR SNOW... SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING.

* SHORT TERM TRENDS... A BAND OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT AREAS EAST OF THE HIGHWAY 65 CORRIDOR THROUGH MID AFTERNOON. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED... WHICH WILL RESULT IN VERY HEAVY BURSTS OF SLEET AND SMALL HAIL... ALONG WITH POOR VISIBILITIES. SLEET ACCUMULATION RATES OF OVER A HALF INCH PER HOUR CAN BE EXPECTED WITHIN THUNDERSTORMS. ADDITIONAL ICE ACCUMULATIONS BETWEEN NOON AND 3 PM WILL RANGE FROM A THIN GLAZE UP TO A TENTH OF AN INCH EAST OF HIGHWAY 65.

FOR AREAS ALONG AND WEST OF THE HIGHWAY 65 CORRIDOR... SHOWERS OF LIGHT SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN WILL PERSIST THROUGH MID AFTERNOON. PATCHY FREEZING DRIZZLE WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. ADDITIONAL ICE AND SLEET ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE MINOR.

A PERIOD OF LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW IS THEN EXPECTED FROM LATER THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING ACROSS PORTIONS OF EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN KANSAS AND WEST CENTRAL MISSOURI.

* TIMING AND AREAS AFFECTED... ALL OF THE MISSOURI OZARKS AND EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN KANSAS THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON.

* SNOW AND SLEET ACCUMULATION... STORM TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOW AND SLEET WILL GENERALLY RANGE FROM ONE TO FOUR INCHES... WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS ALONG AND NORTH OF THE HIGHWAY 54 CORRIDOR IN CENTRAL MISSOURI. POCKETS OF HEAVY SLEET WILL OCCUR WITHIN THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE EASTERN MISSOURI OZARKS THIS AFTERNOON. SLEET ACCUMULATIONS MAY EXCEED AN INCH IN LOCALIZED AREAS.

* ICE ACCUMULATION... STORM TOTAL ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF A THIN GLAZE TO ONE TENTH OF AN INCH ARE EXPECTED NORTH OF INTERSTATE 44 WITH ACCUMULATIONS FROM A QUARTER TO A HALF INCH ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE INTERSTATE 44 CORRIDOR.

* WINDS AND VISIBILITY... EASTERLY TO SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 35 MPH WILL OCCUR TODAY. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL OCCUR ACROSS THE EASTERN MISSOURI OZARKS EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. WINDS WILL DIMINISH OVER ALL AREAS LATER THIS AFTERNOON.

* IMPACTS... THE WINTRY MIX WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT TRAVEL CONDITIONS. THE MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION REPORTS ICE COVERED ROADS OVER MOST AREAS ALONG WITH SEVERAL ACCIDENTS.