Pending winter storm for Randolph County

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[As of 2 p.m. today, the National Weather Service office in St. Louis has somewhat

downgraded the impact of the winter storm headed for Randolph and surrounding

counties.

On average, the weather service is predicting up to 1/2 inch of ice and up to 4

inches of snow, beginning tonight and continuing through Wednesday afternoon.

Randolph County appears to be a transition county, with more accumulating ice

and snow to the northwest and less to the southeast.

High winds and bitter cold are also expected with this system, and any ice

accumulation can be a hazard. Power outages, some for extended periods, are a

possibility.

The Randolph County Emergency Management Agency has put its Emergency

Operations Center on alert, and is preparing for a worse-case scenario.

A list of local shelters is being gathered and will be released if shelters are opened.

Further news releases will be issued as needed.