Looming Blizzard Could Rank Near Top 10 to Hit Eastern U.S.

A Winter Storm Warning is in effect Friday morning through 7 a.m. Saturday for Robertson, Mason, Lewis and Adams counties.

A statement from the Shelby County Mayor’s Office says snow and freezing rain are creating hazardous driving conditions in the Memphis area. Essential employees include, but are not limited to: 1) employees who work in 24-hour facilities such as parks, hospitals, prisons, or residential facilities; 2) law enforcement and emergency management personnel; and 3) highway and road crews.

National Weather Service meteorologist Paul Kocin compared the storm to “Snowmageddon”, the first of two storms that “wiped out” Washington in 2010 and dumped up to 30 inches of snow in places.

Snow amounts have been forecast up to 18 plus inches east of Interstate 65 with six inches along the Ohio River corridor, to up to 14 inches in the central Bluegrass Region.

He said the roads were “slippery and bad”, with several inches of snow on top of ice. But the usual breakfast rush was a mere trickle as a quarter-inch of ice coated the town, before the storm turned to snow. Major delays continued through the night on the Capital Beltway in Prince George’s County, but crews were making progress Thursday morning, he said. In Memphis, where blizzard conditions are possible, three warming centers are open for those seeking refuge from below-freezing temperatures.

New York City is just inside the storm’s sharp northern edge, which means it is likely to see heavy accumulations, but Boston will probably get off easy this time, forecasters said.

Gov. Bill Haslam has ordered state offices in West Tennessee closed all day. Unlike government offices and many private businesses in the city, the clinic was open Friday. Snow drifts may also be an issue in the Louisville area.

The state’s largest utility, Entergy Arkansas, says about 12,500 homes and businesses are without power Friday morning, primarily in the eastern half of the state. Snowfall accumulations of four to nine inches will be possible. Washington, D.C.is preparing for 2 feet of snow, while areas near Philadelphia could get about a foot.

Due to the impending severe weather forecast, Governor Bevin is closing all state offices for Friday, January 22, 2016.

Weather service director Louis Uccellini says resident should expect brutally high winds, risky inland flooding, white-out conditions and even the possibility of thunder snow.