The Weather Prediciton Center is concerned about considerable icing across parts of Louisiana and Mississippi
SUMMARY…Freezing rain and sleet will increase along a corridor from central LA, across central MS, into central AL this afternoon/evening. Significant icing, with rates approaching .10 inch/hr in heavier convection, is expected.
DISCUSSION…Latest vis satellite imagery exhibits deepening convection across the lower Sabine river valley extending into southern portions of MS. Lightning is increasing within the taller updrafts, partly in response to increasing ascent ahead of approaching short-wave trough. An elongated corridor of precipitation, with embedded thunderstorms, is expected to expand in areal coverage/intensity over the next several hours from the lower Mississippi Valley to the central Gulf states.
With boundary-layer temperatures expected to cool a few degrees along this corridor it appears the risk for significant icing will increase as the afternoon progresses into the evening hours. As the cold air deepens, sleet will become common along the nrn edge of his expanding precip shield. With time, mixed precipitation will spread into northern GA later this evening.
From the NwS in Jackson, MS
Seeing rapidly cooling cloud tops on IR satellite imagery over northeast LA as mid level shortwave trough begins to have greater effect on frontal band…expect heavier precipitation rates to move from northeast LA into southwest/central MS next few hours as HRRR/SREF have been showing for the 300 to 600 PM time frame. Also expect this increased lift may finally eradicate the warm nose enough to allow snow to develop more earnestly along/north of the I-20 corridor.
