Love Letter From the National Weather Service

Issued by The National Weather Service
North Webster, IN
11:45 am EST, Wed., Dec. 17, 2008

"... WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING...

A MIX OF SNOW... SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN WILL DEVELOP THURSDAY NIGHT WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY SNOW OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS. THE PRECIPITATION SHOULD DIMINISH FRIDAY... WITH THE HEAVIEST SNOW ACCUMULATIONS POSSIBLE OVER FAR SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN. THE HEAVIEST ICE ACCUMULATIONS ARE POSSIBLE OVER NORTHERN INDIANA AND NORTHWEST OHIO.

... POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT ICE AND SNOW ACCUMULATIONS THURSDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY FRIDAY...

.A STRONG STORM SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO IMPACT THE AREA THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT ICE AND SNOW ACCUMULATIONS... ALONG WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL.

PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO START THURSDAY EVENING AS A MIX OF SNOW... SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN. HEAVY SNOW IS POSSIBLE THURSDAY NIGHT OVER FAR SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN. HEAVY ICING IS POSSIBLE FROM THE INDIANA AND MICHIGAN STATE LINE SOUTH... INCLUDING NORTHWEST OHIO.

WARMER AIR WILL BE TRYING TO PUSH NORTH THURSDAY NIGHT AS THE PRECIPIATION IS OCCURRING. THIS WILL ALLOW TEMPERATURES NEAR THE SURFACE TO RISE OVERNIGHT TO NEAR OR JUST ABOVE FREEZING. THIS WILL BE CRITICAL IN DETERMINING HOW MUCH ICE ACCUMULATES AND WHERE. AT THIS TIME... IT APPEARS THE BEST CHANCE FOR SIGNIFICANT ICE ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE FROM NEAR THE HIGHWAY 30 CORRIDOR TO THE INDIANA... MICHIGAN... AND OHIO STATE LINES. SOUTH OF THIS AREA... SOME ICE ACCUMULATIONS ARE STILL POSSIBLE BUT TEMPERATURES MAY RISE ABOVE FREEZING FAST ENOUGH TO LIMIT ACCUMULATIONS TO LESS THAN ONE QUARTER OF AN INCH. "

Here's hoping that everything I've learned about extremely unpredictable weather here, which pretty much boils down to you don't know until it's actually happening, holds true.
(photo courtesy of my favorite, Google Images)