LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. — The Lake area is under another round of wintry precipitation, with freezing rain today and snow forecast this weekend.

In its Hazardous Weather Outlook for central Missouri, the NWS reported:

“Freezing drizzle or light freezing rain is expected to continue through the late afternoon and evening. The ice will result in difficult travel conditions, including during the evening commute. Some areas of sleet and light snow will also be possible. Total ice accumulations will only reach a few hundredths of an inch...

Road temperatures will continue to drop to freezing and below during the evening. The freezing precipitation will end from west to east late this evening and the Winter Weather Advisory will likely be cancelled from west to east later this evening as precipitation ends.”

Winds could gust up to 40 mph, with wind chill down to -5 degrees by Friday, the NWS said.

The Weather Service is calling for light snow, north of I-44, on Sunday and Monday, though that forecast has not yet given specific predicted amounts.

The Lake area has not seen much by way of precipitation this winter, with only a light snow before Christmas and a bout of freezing rain last weekend. Freezing rain poses the greatest risk to travelers, as the cold ground or air temperatures can cause the rainfall to freeze once it hits a solid surface. That can create “black ice” conditions on roads and make untreated walkways nearly impassable.

Two crashes last weekend were blamed on slick roads, as well as a truck that went off a ledge at Backwater Jack's restaurant in Osage Beach. Last winter, a double-fatality crash was likely caused by slick roads amid freezing rain conditions.

Drivers are advised to watch road conditions carefully, slow down, and avoid driving on icy roads if possible.


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