South Central

NASA’s Terra satellite captured this photo on December 25, 2009.  A historic blizzard produced the most widespread snowfall in decades for Oklahoma and northern Texas.  Today, this same area is receiving another round of snow…but no blizzard, thankfully.  The Sacramento Mountains in New Mexico and the Guadalupe Mountains in west Texas could get 2-4″.  The temperature at Dallas/Fort Worth will be hovering right around freezing today with some rain mixing in with the snow especially at it’s onset.  The city is expected to receive about 1-2″.

Northeast

Winds gusting over 30 mph in the presents of arctic air is adding a chill to the air.  This morning along the I-95 corridor, wind chill readings were in the single digits and even subzero!  The strong north wind has also led to lake effect snow in western New York state and northwestern Pennsylvania.  The snow will gradually taper today as high pressure strolls in from the west bringing drier air to the region.  A coastal storm should bring rain and snow to the northeast on New Year’s.  Potentially messy weather for those ringing in the New Year in Times Square.

New Year’s Eve Forecast

Northwest

Wet weather returns to the Pacific Northwest and will stay through the remainder of this week.  Snow will spread across the Cascades and Continental Divide as a Pacific storm moves across the area.

Kristin Clark

WeatherNation Meteorologist

Hello and happy Monday everyone, hope you enjoyed your long holiday weekend. Unfortunately, I had to work, so mine was cut short, but at least I got to spend a LITTLE time with family and friends. I am still amazed at how quickly the 2009 calendar year is coming to an end. It seems like yesterday that we were talking about summer weather… I guess my parents were right, time does go faster the older you get! Maybe we should stop to smell roses every once in a while, eh? Sure, it’s easy to say, but actually taking time out of your day to rest – HA! Good luck!! We do live in a fast pace world and it can get a little overwhelming at times, but there’s always that one thing I can fall back to for comfort. Drum roll please………. For me it’s the weather! Go figure huh! Yes, the weather geek inside of me gets excited for big storms that prompt weather watches and warnings across a great deal of the Nation. I hate to see lives and property damaged, but the more extreme the weather, the better. That’s what I live for. Speaking of extremes, take a look at this unusual event from somewhere in Canada. It’s a traffic jam in an unlikely place, a snowmobile trail!

I suppose the deer are finding it easier to find food along the trail where the snow isn’t as deep. Either that or it must have been the annual family smorgasbord.

I’ve got another head scratcher for you today. Take a look at the picture below, sent by Rich Koivisto, a good friend of mine from Duluth, MN. This picture was taken over the weekend in downtown Duluth, MN. That lake you see is Lake Superior, the coldest and deepest of all the Great Lakes. It’s annual average water temperature is 40 degrees, but it was even colder than that this weekend! The other image below shows the current water temperature at the west end of Lake Superior, which is located near Duluth, MN and Superior, WI. The numbers plotted all read in the mid to upper 30′s. I don’t know you’re thinking what I’m thinking, but that guy must either be a die hard surfer or just plain nuts! BRRR!!

Here’s another image of Duluth, MN from earlier today from my other good friend, Wanda Brandt. Nice picture.

OK on to a little weather, shall we? Here are the watches and warnings around the nation. It’s much quieter today than it was late last week and over the weekend. The Winter Storm Warnings from Texas to the Twin Cities have expired and the only winter storm warnings in effect for Monday are those in northern Maine where as much as 6″ of snow may fall. Cold exhaust on the back side of a low pressure system in the eastern Great Lakes in turning the lake effect snow machines on and Lake Effect Snow Advisories/Warnings are in effect for the south shore of Superior, Ontario and Erie.

New Year’s Eve Party Plans/Weather Conditions

Some of you may already be thinking about what you’ll be doing New Year’s Eve or who your first smooch will be with, but if you’re wonder what the weather will be like, I’ve got just the thing. If you’ll be in New York’s Times Square to see the ball drop or if you’ll be in the comfort of you home watching it on TV, don’t be surprised it there’s a little snow coming down. In fact, a potential Nor’Easter may have significant weather impacts on the Northeast New Year’s Eve/Day. It’ll be one to watch.

We’ll keep and eye to the sky, but in the meantime have a safe Monday and stop back again real soon, won’t you!

Meterologist Todd Nelson – WeatherNation LLC

The Christmas of 2009 had the most widespread snow in the last 6 years with 63% of the country receiving at least a trace.  The Christmas Day snowstorm that brought blizzard conditions from Oklahoma City to Fargo is much weaker and moving into the Northeast.  Snow, most of it light,  will continue over the Great Lakes and Northeast tomorrow as the large but dying snowstorm drifts slowly east.  Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan will receive at least 1-3″ of snow.  Some spots in the higher elevation in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia could get up to 6″ but the big snow winners will be the locations just downwind of the Great Lakes.  The wind will pick up out of the Northwest Monday and Tuesday producing lake effect snow in northwestern Pennsylvania and western New York state.  Can’t rule out a cool foot of snow near Erie, Pennsylvania and Buffalo, NY.  In addition, colder air will be in place for the first part of this week over the Great Lakes and Northeast.

After a colder weekend, the Southeast will have a moderating temperature trend Monday and Tuesday with sunny and dry weather.  On Wednesday, rain will begin to spread into the Southeast.  New Orleans could get another soaking rain.  This is already the wettest all-time month on record for New Orleans with 25.43″.

The Four Corners will receive this rain Tuesday.  Good news considering that some areas in Arizona and Nevada are in a drought.

A few scattered showers in Washington state and Oregon tomorrow but otherwise a dry day the West.  Rain returns Tuesday along the Pacific Northwest.

Kristin Clark

WeatherNation Meteorologist

Wow. What a present we got from Mother Nature. It’s the gift that seems to keep on giving. The “Christmas Blizzard” of ’09 is still not entirely over in the Midwest. Snow is continuing to fall across the region–though it seems that the worst is coming to a close. This is a storm that will most certainly go down in the record books. There are too many new records to keep track of with this storm! New snowfall records, new rainfall records, etc. Yeesh.

Yesterday (Christmas Day) was a really tough day for the Northern Plains. In my opinion, it certainly is one of the hardest hit areas. There were wind gusts in excess of 60 mph and with heavy, dry snow falling, blowing snow reduced visibilities down to ZERO. In fact, it was so bad that several interstates shut down. I-94 was closed from Minnesota to Montana in North Dakota. Western Kansas shut down I-70. This evening, South Dakota was reporting visibilites of less than 1/8th of a mile. On Christmas, at 3:44 PM, Rapid City, SD clocked a wind gust at 76 mph! Lead, SD (in Lawrence county) has received 37.5″ of snow so far. What a mess!

6 PM Midwest Warnings

So this storm isn’t quite done yet, but the light at the end of the tunnel is approaching. That storm system is finally going to be heading out to the east, which will clear things up significantly in the Midwest. The Plains will finally get a much needed break! The winds will subside and that big yellow ball in the sky (otherwise know as a the “Sun,” (remember him?)) will grace the Midwest with its presence.

Wish I could say the same for the Northeast though. With this storm moving eastward, tomorrow is looking to be quite messy there with freezing rain still possible into tomorrow morning, but by Sunday evening, the cold, back side of the storm system will drop temperatures to below freezing in the Northeast and that will end the freezing rain and bring in good ole fashion snow instead (I’ll take that over freezing rain any day!).

Either way, I do hope you enjoyed Christmas… despite this nasty weather! I took a moment to take advantage of the snow myself on Christmas Eve. Hey, when life hands you lemons…

Twin Cities, MN: Me and my snowman

Susie Martin

WeatherNation Meteorologist

Hello and happy Friday everyone and Merry Christmas! Thanks to Susie Martin for this picture of a beautiful Christmas tree and the fresh snow in the Twin Cities – ENJOY!

Official storm reports around the Upper Midwest you can find here:

NWS in Duluth:

Most I saw from this office was 20″ in Duluth!!! But it was raining downtown – just a couple of miles away – closer to Lake Superior. 40 to 50mph wind gusts were being reported with 5 foot snow drifts. Take a look at the web cam from downtown Duluth, near Lake Superior… LOOK AT THOSE WAVES!!!

Look at the Waves from the top of the hill in Duluth!!! Thanks for the picture Wanda Brandt from Duluth!!!

NWS in Minneapolis:

Nearly a foot around the Metro with 8.2″ officially at the Twin Cities Airport.

NWS in Fargo, ND:

NWS in Bismarck ND:

NWS in North Platte NE:

NWS in Aberdeen SD:

NWS in Sioux Falls SD:

NWS in Kansas City:

14.1″ of snow was reported in Oklahoma City – most ever for one storm!

Look at the records here:

Oklahoma City Area
Extremes
Highest Daily Snowfall (inches)
Days: 1/1 - 12/31
Length of period: 1 day
Years: 1893-2009

Rank  Value  Ending Date
  1    14.1  12/24/2009
  2    11.3  3/19/1924
  3     9.0  1/7/1944
  4     8.4  3/10/1948
  5     8.3  1/6/1988, 12/14/1987, 1/18/1987
  8     7.6  3/26/1913
  9     7.4  1/18/1949
 10     7.1  1/8/1920

Christmas Travel Today:

Slow Low:

Look at the isobars in the Midwest – note how the black lines are close together. This means extreme winds! Blowing all that snow around is causing blizzard conditions.

National Warnings

Areas in Red are Blizzard Warnings!

Welp, that’s it for now – Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you and yours!

Meteorologist Todd Nelson – WeatherNation LLC