Rain should begin changing over to a brief period of freezing rain and then sleet from northwest to southeast early this afternoon near the Ohio River. This transition will proceed southeast across western Kentucky through the afternoon. A prolonged period of sleet is likely before changing over to snow.
This changeover will likely not take place until late afternoon... and perhaps even early this evening near the Tennessee border. Moderate to heavy snow will continue for several hours tonight before tapering off early Thursday morning.
By early Thursday morning... snowfall totals are expected to average 6 to 8 inches along the Tennessee border. An eight to ten inch swath of snowfall is possible generally twenty-five miles either side of a line from Sikeston Missouri to Paducah and Madisonville. As much as one inch of sleet may fall prior to the snow. It should be noted that if freezing rain and sleet persist longer than expected... snow amounts may not be as high.
This quantity of snow and sleet accumulation will produce treacherous conditions and cause significant travel issues across the region. Isolated power outages will also be possible.
Click the link below for more information.
On the Net:
NWS Paducah Winter Storm Warning InfoPaducah Weather Service webpage