Up to six inches of snow predicted this weekend

Greene County may get hit with four to six inches of snow this weekend.

WTHI-TV 10 Meteorologist Eric Stidman said snowfall is expected to start slowly on Friday evening and continue into Sunday.

“It’s hard to believe that a rain shower originating near Phoenix, Ariz., can turn into the potential for a snow event in the Wabash Valley, but that’s exactly the case for the upcoming weekend. If you were to make that drive - from Phoenix to Linton - you’d be looking at more than 1,600 miles on the road and 27 hours in the car,” Stidman explained.

“This does a great job of explaining the powerful punch of potent mother nature. To steer away from the science and get to point: let’s fast forward to the weekend.”

He broke down what the weekend is expected to look like in Greene County in terms of the snowfall.

“Conditions will slowly deteriorate with clouds increasing Friday evening. A light snowfall should begin Friday night and last into the day Saturday with accumulations beginning to develop. Some residual snow may last into the day on Sunday. By the time the system exits the area on Sunday, new snowfall amounts will range between 4 to 6 inches for the Greene County area,” Stidman said.

Stidman noted rural areas should be vigilant as snow drifts can drive those numbers up a little.

But, Stidman stressed while they are confident in the likelihood of the snowfall, there are still some uncertainties by the time the weekend rolls around.

“There is a bit of uncertainty with this system for Greene County, as the freezing line - or an imaginary line of freezing air the upper altitudes - will position itself in the general vicinity. In a very general example: precipitation north of this line will fall as snow, while precipitation south of this line will have a better chance at becoming rain. Combine that thought with the fact that day time highs on Saturday will barely squeak above freezing and for some areas to the south, rain may begin to mix in, thus limiting accumulation amounts,” Stidman said.

Stidman added while a snow system can shift quickly, the Storm Team 10 is predicting a 90 percent chance of snowfall.

“Ask any meteorologist, and you’ll quickly learn that snow is one of the most difficult weather events to forecast. A snow system can shift on the drop of a dime, be influenced by dry air and ultimately, just not come to fruition,” Stidman said.

“That said, the Storm Team 10 has the prediction of snowfall for the weekend in a very likely category (90% - high confidence) and the potential for 2 inches-4 inches of new snowfall accumulations in a likely category (moderate confidence). In this particular case, we tend to agree with the guidance of the National Weather Service Indianapolis Office -- they’re predicting 4”-6” for your area -- but also contend that dry air, or rain may limit development.”

For an updated forecast, Stidman directed readers to view the most up-to-date information Friday evening during the 7 p.m. broadcast on WTHI-TV 10 to track potential accumulations.

With the predicted snowfall this weekend, Greene County Emergency Management Agency Director Roger Axe issued a statement urging residents to get their weekend errands done early.

“We are advising that you take stock and have plenty of the following on hand; food, fuel, medication, necessary household supplies,” Axe said.

“In addition, get your errands completed before Saturday night when the snow starts so you won’t have to travel in the snow Sunday. Consider making this Sunday a stay home day so not to put yourself at risk or rescue responders if you would have trouble traveling.”

Axe also urged people to be mindful of their health while clearing snow.