The National Weather Service in Amarillo has issued a Winter Storm Watch for the northeastern Texas Panhandle. This watch is in effect from Friday morning through Sunday morning. Perryton, Booker, Miami, Canadian, Shamrock, and Wheeler are a few towns included in this watch. The reason this watch has been issued is due to the increasing likelihood of significant ice accumulations in the northeastern Texas Panhandle. There will be the potential for icing elsewhere in the Panhandle, but amounts and overall confidence is lower at this time for those areas. Those under the watch should be prepared for a ice storm with accumulations of freezing rain and ice of at least a quarter inch (0.25″). There is the potential that ice accumulaations could be even higher than that. Extremely hazardous road conditions are expected and damage to trees and power infrastructure will be possible. If we end up with higher ice accumulations the potential will exist for more significant damage to power infrastructure. Sunday has the potential to feature active winter weather across all of the Texas Panhandle as colder air filters in with the primary area of low pressure.

BEAVER-OCHILTREE-LIPSCOMB-ROBERTS-HEMPHILL-WHEELER-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…BEAVER…FORGAN…PERRYTON…BOOKER…
HIGGINS…FOLLETT…MIAMI…CANADIAN…SHAMROCK…WHEELER
403 PM CST WED JAN 11 2017

…WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH
SUNDAY MORNING…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AMARILLO HAS ISSUED A WINTER
STORM WATCH…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH
SUNDAY MORNING.

* PRECIP TYPE…EXPECT FREEZING DRIZZLE OR ICE PELLETS TO DEVELOP
FRIDAY MORNING AND CHANGE OVER TO FREEZING RAIN BY FRIDAY
AFTERNOON AND CONTINUING THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING.

* ACCUMULATIONS…ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF NEAR ONE QUARTER INCH ARE
EXPECTED WITH POTENTIAL FOR HIGHER AMOUNTS.

* IMPACTS…THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS DRIVING
CONDITIONS DUE TO SLICK ROADWAYS. POWER OUTAGES MAY OCCUR.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT
SNOW…SLEET…OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL.
CONSIDER ALTERING TRAVEL PLANS AND GATHER NECESSARY SUPPLIES
BEFORE CONDITIONS DETERIORATE