FORECAST: No Rest for the Weary. Next Winter Storm Incoming.

On the heals of the big weekend storm system that brought flooding rains to parts of the Mid-South, widespread high-winds and heavy snows to the Great Lakes, the next in a long line of winter storms takes aim at the Central US this week.

A pair of upper-level disturbances rembedded in the seasonally strong jet stream winds look to rotate out of the Rockies on Tuesday as a surface low develops along the Gulf Coast bringing a surge of moisture northward to interact with plenty of cold air at the surface to produce widespread moderate to heavy snowfall for parts of the Southern Plains, Mid-South through the Southern Mid-Atlantic Region.

The European Forecast Model has been very consistent with the general track and intensity of this storm which is set to develop during the day on Tuesday acros the Southern Plains with heavy snow developing across Southeast KS, Southern MO, Northeastern OK and Northern AR. The system looks to produce a bit of a mix into parts of Southern AR and Northern Dixie with the snow sliding eastward Tuesday night into the Middle MS and Lower Ohio Valleys with widespread moderate to heavy snowfall.

How Much Snow?

There is good general agreement between the Euro and the GFS of both placement and intensity of snowfall with the GFS coming in a little "hotter" as it often does. With that being said, the below snow maps are forecasted 24 hour totals ending at 18z (2 pm ET on Wednesday). Both show a bullseye across Southern Missouri with an axis of heavy snow totals hugging the Mason-Dixon Line across parts of far Southern IL, IN and through much of Kentucky.

So what do I think?

I think this is a high-confidence forecast with a good bet for a widespread moderate to heavy snowfall event for the Central US. With temps running in the teens and twenties, the snow should fall as a dry and fluffy snow with a high snow ratio likely leading to some robust totals of a FOOT PLUS for Southern Missour and with healthy totals in the four to eight inch range through much of Eastern KS, Southern IL, Far Northern AR and into parts of the Lower Ohio River Valley.

With that being said. This system will be accompanied by many more school closings this week and looks to be followed by more arctic air with temps plunging back BELOW ZERO again for many, especially in those areas that pick up good snowfall.

Stay warm. Stay blessed. Stay tuned.

Jeremy Kappell

Meteorologist, Writer, Journalist