Nice writeup by Memphis this afternoon:
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Memphis TN
331 PM CST Thu Jan 13 2022
.DISCUSSION...
Currently...Pleasant day underway across the Mid-South with some
mid clouds moving across area and temps in the 50s and lower 60s.
Tonight and Friday...Weak high pressure will skirt the region with
slightly cooler but dry weather. Lows tonight will be in the 30s
and highs in Friday from the 40s north to 50s south.
Friday night through Sunday...Two pieces of energy, one from the
Pacific NW and one from southern Canada, will combine over the
plains. This upper low along with its attendant surface low, will
drop due south into the southern plains and then
head east across
the Lower Mississippi Valley. Rain will spread into the Friday
night and Saturday.
As the upper low tracks into MS Saturday night
and continues to rapidly deepen, expect a well defined
deformation zone/TROWAL to set up somewhere across the Mid-South.
Expect rain to change to snow from NW to SE partially due to
CAA
but also due to strong upward motion cooling the warm layers
aloft.
Current snowfall forecasts do not do a great job conveying
the potential impacts from this winter storm. Locations that find
themselves with this band N/NW of the upper low will likely see
significant snowfall while areas outside the band may not see
much. The period of time of greatest threat is from around
midnight until mid morning Sunday. During this time the surface
low moves slowly across from east MS into AL.
The deformation zone
pivots across the region and wherever that pivot occurs will be
the jackpot area for snow. The 12z guidance has an array of
potential solutions and seems to have shifted somewhat southward.
We will be using along and north of the TN/MS line rather than
I-40 as a reference point for the areas with the best chance of
significant snowfall but keep in mid this area will
likely change.
Wind will also be a consideration given the tight
gradient. North
winds at 15 to 20 mph gusts on the north side of this system seem
reasonable. A
watch was considered but since impacts will
likely
start well into the 5th period will hold off this forecast cycle.
Snow will taper off Sunday afternoon.
Sunday night into Tuesday night...Temps will be driven by snow
cover to some extent. For now looks like lows in the 20s Monday
morning though not sure what this following
shortwave moving
through on NW
flow will do. Could send some cloud cover our way.
Undercut NBM on Monday highs as high pressure builds in and
prevails through Tuesday.
Wednesday and Thursday...Next system may impact the area Wednesday
into Thursday with perhaps some winter weather. Some ingredients
are there but honestly have not focused much on it with the
upcoming winter storm. The
active pattern continues.