The National Weather Service has upgraded a Winter Storm Watch to a Winter Storm Warning as two weather fronts are expected to combine, bringing icy precipitation, and likely a snowflake or two, to Lincoln County beginning Saturday night.
The storm will arrive in two stages, first during Saturday and into the night with rainfall and the chance of icy precipitation, with a second batch arriving early Sunday morning and continuing through the day.
The weather system, which will remain mostly offshore, has been a tricky one for forecasters. The only certainty is that there will be precipitation through Sunday afternoon along with some gusty winds. What form that precipitation takes is reliant on a thoroughly unpredictable set of circumstances affecting the freeze line as it passes through the area, according to the NWS forecast.
However, the NWS bulletin issued at 4:08 p.m. on Saturday appeared to show a higher confidence in snowfall for the Lincoln County area, especially during the morning and mid-day hours of Sunday when “snow may be heavy at times,” according to the NWS.
Coastal areas will have the best chance for snowfall, according to forecasters.
Sustained winds of 20-30 mph from the north-northeast are forecast to become northerly and then slide to the north-northwest during the event. Gusts are forecast in the 45 mph range.
The NWS warns that wet snow may stick to tree limbs and power lines. This, combined with the winds, brings the possibility of power outages.
The NWS bulletin calls for the possibility of up to 6 inches of accumulated snowfall.
The Winter Storm Warning is in effect from 1 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, according to the NWS.
The Lincoln County News will continue to follow the progress of this event and post any additional information here as soon as it is obtained.