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Winter storm expected Saturday, unusual cold to follow

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With temperatures expected to dip below freezing this weekend, and likely to stay below freezing during the day throughout the first half of next week, those who are unhoused or in a living situation with inadequate heat might want to consider local services that can offer shelter or a hot meal.

Martha Vance Samaritan Outreach, 715 Missouri Ave. in West Plains, will be a warming station if the temperature dips below 15 degrees and there are enough open beds. Those planning to stay overnight must arrive by 9 p.m. Executive Director Lori Concepcion explained that might not be Saturday but likely Sunday, depending on how the weather turns out.

Anyone needing a hot meal can drop by between noon and 1 p.m. and between 5 and 6 p.m. any day of the week to eat and get a better idea of bed availability, or be directed to other resources. For the safety and comfort of all residents, pets are not allowed. People can also call 417-257-7792 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays.

The Ozarks Healthcare Crisis Stabilization Center is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily off of West Sixth Street, on the southern edge of the Ozarks Healthcare campus and may be used during regular hours. Client services will be offered as needed. For more information, call 417-505-7878.

The West Plains Senior Center is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays at 416 E. Main St. A lunch is served daily between about 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with a charge for those who don't meet eligibility requirements.

The West Plains Public Library is available for those needing to get in out of the cold, also during regular daytime hours, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. The West Plains Civic Center, open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and noon to 5 p.m. weekends at 110 St. Louis St. is another daytime option.

FORECAST

The National Weather Service office in Springfield is forecasting a wet and cold weekend with rain Saturday night and Sunday during the day possibly turning into snow overnight into Monday.

Saturday’s high temperature is expected to top out at about 37 degrees, with wind chill values as low as 20 degrees. While the wind may be light at around 5 to 9 mph, gusts could reach up to 18 mph. Rain is expected to move into the area between midnight and 3 a.m. and precipitation is expected to continue into Sunday night.

With Saturday’s overnight low dropping only to 30 degrees, freezing does not look to be a big concern for the meteorologists watching lower south central Missouri, but that rain is expected to turn to snow at some time between 9 p.m. and midnight Sunday. In their forecast discussion issued Friday morning, meteorologists did note that freezing drizzle may develop Saturday morning, but it won’t last long as warmer air is expected to move into the area, bringing temperatures above freezing. The chance of precipitation is 30%.

Upper south central Missouri, however, has been issued an ice storm warning from 6 p.m. Saturday through 6 a.m. Monday. The warning has been issued for Dent, Shannon and Texas counties, and cautions of the expectation of up to a half-inch of ice accumulation, plus 1 to 3 inches of snow. Winds could gust up to 35 mph. Residents in those areas should be prepared for the possibility of widespread and long-lasting power outages, tree damage and dangerous travel, particularly on bridges and overpasses. Travel is highly discouraged due to slick roads and the possibility of downed trees and power lines.

NWS meteorologists say snow is most likely along and north of the Highway 54 corridor, which travels northeast from the Kansas border at Vernon County to the Illinois border at Pike County. The highest ice probabilities, however, are forecast across parts of the eastern Ozarks, namely along and northeast of a line from West Plains to Pittsburg, Kan.

NWS notes Eminence, Houston, West Plains and Ava are included in the list of cities for which meteorologists have the least amount of certainty in the type and timing of precipitation expected. As of Friday afternoon, however, they project a chance of freezing drizzle during the day Saturday in those areas and periods of freezing rain overnight. In the northern communities, those periods of freezing rain could turn to mostly snow or sleet as early as Sunday afternoon and continue into the early morning hours of Monday. In West Plains and Ava, the possible freezing rain looks like will give way to mostly rain late Saturday night, continuing into Sunday night and possibly turning into mostly snow or sleet Sunday evening, stopping before midnight.

In West Plains, no snow accumulation and a low — 47% — chance of a glaze of ice are expected.

An “anomalously cold arctic airmass” — an unusually frigid cold front — will be settling in with temperatures 15 to 25 degrees below normal and below-zero windchills Sunday night through Wednesday night, they warn.



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