Winter storm warnings and advisories have been issued for areas of central Mississippi as the arrival of winter weather and the likelihood of up to 2 inches of snow gets closer and meteorologists are better able to pinpoint timing and impact areas.

The winter storm warning was issued across much of the Interstate 20 corridor and northeast through the Golden Triangle area as Mississippi braces for the probability of a up to 2 inches of snow overnight tonight.

An arctic cold front plunging south will slide across Mississippi late tonight and through the early hours Tuesday.

Weather forecasters say precipitation will start as rain, but as frigid air fills in that rain will quickly turn to snow.

The National Weather Service’s Jackson office has issued a winter storm warning for more than a dozen counties across a line starting in Vicksburg, across the state line to Meridian and up to Columbus.

“There is increasing confidence that accumulating snowfall will occur as temperatures fall rapidly behind the cold front,” forecasters wrote in their latest briefing. “With temperatures falling below freezing, icing of roads, and especially bridges and overpasses, will be a concern throughout the morning hours. In addition, strong wind will combine with the low temperatures to make for very low wind chill readings.”

Temperatures across Mississippi are expected to plunge 35 to 40 degrees as the front passes through and high winds will make it feel like it’s in the teens across the region.

The line of potential heavy snow has shifted a little in the latest models bringing potential snow more to the southwest corner of Mississippi including Natchez, Brookhaven and McComb.

Weather forecasters say locally higher snowfall amounts are entirely possible, but amounts up 2 inches remain the regional forecast total. Travel issues are also anticipated in the winter weather advisory areas (mostly south of Interstate 20), especially on bridges and overpasses, so personnel in these areas should be similarly prepared for these impacts.