25 WEATHER — The rainy system that will be undergoing development tonight will be a classic example of what we call a mid-latitude cyclone.
Basically, that means a low-pressure system will spin up off the mountains to our west and become more mature as the jet stream carries it east.
This usually results in a northeast track over the United States.
These systems tend to carry warmer air south and east of its center as colder air is pulled in from the north and west.
In tomorrow's case, the center of the storm will pass to our south, so we are going to miss out on the balmier air.
Even so, there is a lot of water vapor that will be pumped into this system, so that will mean a good deal of rain for many people in the path.
Plenty of water is also going to be present on the cold side of the low, which is going to be churned out into snow across many states.
Locally, we simply won't be cold enough to see the water fall in frozen form, outside of maybe some flakes on the northern fringe of our viewing area Tuesday night.
However, multiple Winter Storm Warnings have been posted all the way from Lubbock to St. Louis.
Winter Storm Watches are in effect for part of the Lower Midwest.
In looking at where the warnings and advisories are, it's easy to tell where the snow is expected to track as the system moves east.
So just how much snow may fall in those places? The National Weather Service is forecasting 4 to 6 inches of snow in parts of Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle.
That forecast inflates to 7-9" for northwest Arkansas. Once the storm gets to Indiana, it's possible that 5-9" could fall there.
Here in Central Texas, snow lovers will have to be patient as we await our first accumulation of the season.
