Winter Storm Octavia Targets South, Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic With Snow, Ice (FORECAST)

Chris Dolce
Published: February 15,2015




 

Winter Storm Octavia will bring the first heavy snowfall of the season to many cities from the Plains and Ozarks through the Ohio Valley and parts of the South over the next 48 hours. It will also threaten some areas with a stripe of accumulating ice from freezing rain.
(MORE: Winter Storm Central | Neptune Impacts New England)
Octavia has already brought snow to parts of the Rockies, and it began spreading its first wintry stripe of precipitation into the Plains late Sunday afternoon. By the time it's done, Octavia will extend its snowy and icy tentacles across the Appalachians and into parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast – possibly including New England yet again.
Snow, sleet and freezing rain will make travel difficult, and winter storm warnings and advisories have already been posted for some 33 million people.
Rain and some thunderstorms are also possible on the warm side of Octavia near the Gulf Coast.
Full forecast details are below, however some uncertainty remains. Check back with The Weather Channel and weather.com for updates.

Forecast: Snow, Ice, Rain

Snow Threat:
- The greatest snow totals from Octavia will likely extend from the southern half of Missouri to near or south of the Ohio River and into parts of the Mid-Atlantic. As depicted on our snowfall forecast map, a large area could see 5 inches or more of total snowfall. Some areas could see up to a foot of snow, including from Kentucky into the southern and central Appalachians.
- Lighter amounts of accumulating snow could affect locations as far north as New York City and southeast New England on Tuesday.
- Cities: St. Louis | Lexington, Kentucky | Nashville | Charleston, West Virginia | Richmond, Virginia | Washington, D.C.
Ice Threat:
- At least light ice accumulations (freezing rain) from parts of Oklahoma into Arkansas, northern Mississippi, northern Alabama, Tennessee, northern Georgia, Upstate South Carolina and North Carolina.
- Parts of this corridor will also see sleet and snow in addition to the ice.
- Given the wintry mix of precipitation types, travel is likely to be very difficult.
- Some pockets of heavier icing could result in scattered power outages and/or broken tree limbs.
- On the southern end of this corridor, including the northern Atlanta metro area, precipitation will likely change to plain rain during the day on Monday.
- Cities: Little Rock, Arkansas | Memphis, Tennessee | Tupelo, Mississippi | Atlanta (north metro) | Charlotte, North Carolina
Rain and Thunderstorms:
- On the warm side of Octavia, rain and some thunderstorms will spread through the Gulf Coast region to locations near I-20.
- A few storms could be strong on Monday, but no widespread severe weather is anticipated at this time.

Octavia Timing

Sunday Night - Monday: Precipitation from Winter Storm Octavia ramps up from the Central Plains into the Ozarks, Ohio Valley east to the central and southern Appalachians.
Monday night: Snow reaches the Mid-Atlantic region, including Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Precipitation tapers off in the Ohio Valley and Mid-South from west to east.
Tuesday: Depending on the track and strength of Octavia's coastal low, at least light snow is possible in New York City and southeast New England. At this point in time, impacts do not appear to be as severe in southeast New England compared to Winter Storm Neptune. Wintry mix of precipitation may linger in eastern North Carolina and southeast Virginia.
Stay with The Weather Channel and weather.com as we continue to track Octavia.

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