March may enter with an ice storm in tow!

The mega computers that serve the National Weather Service have been really cranking as of late and the forecasts are not looking good as we get ready to enter the first weekend of Match 2014 down here in southwest Missouri!

It's becoming increasingly likely that ice, in some form, will impact the area around Taney County Missouri including the cities of Branson and Forsyth starting as early as Friday night, February the 28^th. And while there are more questions than answers as of this post, some of the climatic factors that favor an icing event will be on hand for the Saturday night through Sunday time frame.

The exact wording from the NWS follows:

"Comparison of the synoptic scale setup advertised by the global models to the climatology for ice storms across the Ozarks is worrisome. The CIPS (Cooperative Institute for Precipitation Systems) analogs continue to show a strong signal for ice accumulation across the Ozarks."

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
411 AM CST Thu Feb 27 2014

Right now, freezing rain, thunder sleet, wrap around snow and ice accumulations of greater than a quarter of an inch are all on the forecast table for the greater Ozarks area! A lot will depend on the exact track of the low pressure system as it swings across the area Saturday evening!

Everyone would be well advised to pay particular attention to any winter advisories or warnings that might be issued by the weather service over the next couple of days! Get any needed grocery shopping done by early Friday, have a plan for if the power goes out for an extended period of time and touch base with friends and the elderly to make sure they are informed and safe!