Ice Storm for Memphis, Nashville, Tupelo and Others

By Anthony Sagliani, Meteorologist

January 14,2013; 8:11PM,EST

Wild weather across lower Mississippi Valley has taken a turn for the cold side as two ice storms affect the area into Tuesday.
The worst of the ice into Monday night will occur from the Louisiana/Arkansas border to northern Mississippi and northwest Alabama into central Tennessee, where many locations will see a glaze between 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick on elevated surfaces.
Cities in the path of the ice storm include Eldorado, Ark. and Greenville, Miss. to Memphis, Tenn. and Nashville.
This amount of ice build-up on tree limbs and power lines will add a tremendous weight to them, and the strain could lead to not only heavily damaged trees, but also road closures and power outages.
In addition, bridges and overpasses can become very slippery and very dangerous.
The same can be said for those walking across parking lots, sidewalks, and any surfaces left untreated.

The ice will come mainly in the form of freezing rain, which is plain rain that freezes on contact.
Snow will fall on the northwestern flank of the ice and can mix in at times to northern Louisiana to central Tennessee.
The freezing rain will continue spreading northeastward before tapering off during the evening hours.
There will be a brief end to the ice Monday night, but another wave of freezing rain will occur in part of the same area on Tuesday.
Plain rain will fall from central Louisiana and central Mississippi to southwestern and central Virginia with both storms into the middle of the week.

Because of the wet state of the ground in part of this area and the fact that the rain can come down hard at times, there is the risk of flash, urban and small stream flooding.
Stay with the AccuWeather.com Winter Weather Center for the latest updates on this impending ice storm.