WINTER STORM WARNING FROM NOON SUNDAY THROUGH 6 AM TUESDAY -- 5-10" POSSIBLE
Sorry, but this is going to be a quick blog on the upcoming storm -- I've spent most of the day (including now) dealing with a migraine.
While the DC area deals with a history making snowstorm, not to mention one of the snowiest winters on record (for example, Dulles Airport has had 74.6 inches of snow this winter (normal 13.6 inches) and Philadelphia has had 54.5 inches of snow (normal 10.7 inches)), we have only had 25.4" of snow this year, most of which came in December around Christmas. But it might be our turn again with this storm.
The big note about this storm is that it is going to be a long-duration BUT somewhat slow-accumulating storm. Between Sunday and Tuesday morning we are only going to receive about 5-10" of snow, with some isolated totals up to 12" mainly along the 94 corridor, something that could be considered almost skimpy for a long duration storm, mainly because even though the storm looks powerful, the storm holds little moisture with it. It's only due to the slow-movement of this storm that will allow for the high snow totals.
Snow totals look this way: 1-2" during the day Sunday, 2-4" Sunday Night, 2-4" Monday, 1-2" Monday Night, and maybe up to an inch early Tuesday if the storm sticks around long enough. This should leave totals of 5-10" in the area, again with some isolated higher amounts.
What can you take for this? If you don't let it pile up, it won't be back breaking. Heck, this won't even be a storm where you need to go out every couple hours to shovel! It will pile up, though, if you don't regularly shovel it so make sure you keep on top of it! The main things I'm worried about though are a) The Monday Morning White-Knuckle Driving/Crashing that Minnesota is famous for, and b) the blowing/drifting situation that will develop as we go later on Monday and into Tuesday.
Other than those, this is not going to be that big of a deal in my opinion. Even though its going to be long duration, we are not going to remotely see what they saw in the DC/Baltimore area. Just stay on top of shoveling and don't hold it off until later on Monday or Tuesday and you'll be fine. Oh, and of course take it slower on those roads until MNDOT can get out and plow them a few days after the storm.
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1028 PM CST SAT FEB 6 2010
...SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL LIES AHEAD SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH
TUESDAY MORNING...
.A LENGTHY PERIOD OF LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW WILL IMPACT THE AREA
FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. DUE TO THE LONG
DURATION OF SNOW...THIS WEATHER SYSTEM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO
PRODUCE SNOWFALL TOTALS IN EXCESS OF 10 INCHES OVER A TWO DAY
PERIOD. THESE LARGE SNOWFALL TOTALS ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR FROM
NEAR ALEXANDRIA AND LITTLE FALLS SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE WEST SIDE
OF THE TWIN CITIES METRO AREA AND INTO SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA.
THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA WILL LIKELY SEE TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS IN
EXCESS OF 5 INCHES.
THE SNOW WILL BE PRODUCED BY A STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE
WHICH IS EXPECTED TO DIVE SOUTH THROUGH THE EASTERN DAKOTAS SUNDAY
NIGHT INTO MONDAY...BEFORE SWINGING SOUTHEAST ACROSS IOWA AND INTO
ILLINOIS ON TUESDAY. THIS UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL HELP TO
INTENSIFY A SURFACE TROUGH WHICH WILL BE LOCATED ACROSS THE
AREA...AND THESE FEATURES WILL WORK IN CONCERT TO PRODUCE THE
EXTENDED PERIOD OF SNOW. STRONG WINDS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS WEST
CENTRAL MINNESOTA ON MONDAY NIGHT...THEN SPREAD EAST ACROSS THE
REMAINDER OF THE AREA TUESDAY. THE STRONG WINDS WILL LEAD TO AREAS
OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW...WHICH WILL CAUSE TRAVEL CONDITIONS
TO FURTHER DETERIORATE.
THE WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR LOCATIONS IN CENTRAL
MINNESOTA ALONG AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM MONTEVIDEO TO LITCHFIELD
AND ALONG AND WEST OF A LITCHFIELD...TO SAINT CLOUD...TO LITTLE
FALLS LINE. THE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH
MONDAY NIGHT. THIS INCLUDES THE INTERSTATE 94 CORRIDOR FROM SAINT
CLOUD TO ALEXANDRIA.
A WINTER STORM WATCH CONTINUES FOR SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH
MONDAY NIGHT FOR AREAS NORTH OF THE MINNESOTA RIVER AND WEST OF
INTERSTATE 35... AND INCLUDES THE COMMUNITIES OF HUTCHINSON...THE
TWIN CITIES METRO AREA....AND SAINT PETER.
A WINTER STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA FOR
SUNDAY EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING FOR AREAS ALONG AND SOUTH
OF A NEW ULM...TO MANKATO...TO OWATONNA LINE. THIS INCLUDES THE
INTERSTATE 90 CORRIDOR.
THERE IS STILL SOME UNCERTAINTY ON EXACTLY WHERE THESE WEATHER
SYSTEMS WILL TRACK...WHICH WILL ULTIMATELY DETERMINE WHERE THE
GREATEST AMOUNT OF SNOW WILL OCCUR. STAY TUNED FOR LATER
FORECASTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS ON THIS POTENTIALLY SIGNIFICANT
WINTER STORM.
MNZ041>043-047>050-055>058-071230-
/O.CON.KMPX.WS.W.0003.100207T1800Z-100209T1200Z/
DOUGLAS-TODD-MORRISON-STEVENS-POPE-STEARNS-BENTON-SWIFT-CHIPPEWA-
KANDIYOHI-MEEKER-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ALEXANDRIA...LONG PRAIRIE...
LITTLE FALLS...MORRIS...GLENWOOD...ST. CLOUD...FOLEY...BENSON...
MONTEVIDEO...WILLMAR...LITCHFIELD
1028 PM CST SAT FEB 6 2010
...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON SUNDAY TO
6 AM CST TUESDAY...
A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON SUNDAY TO 6 AM
CST TUESDAY.
* TIMING... SNOW WILL OVERSPREAD THE AREA LATE SUNDAY MORNING
AND PERSIST INTO MONDAY NIGHT. THE HEAVIEST SNOW IS EXPECTED
FROM SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY AFTERNOON.
* MAIN IMPACT... SNOWFALL TOTALS IN EXCESS OF TEN INCHES OVER
THE TWO DAY PERIOD ARE POSSIBLE.
* OTHER IMPACTS... STRONG WINDS WILL DEVELOP ON MONDAY EVENING
AND PERSIST INTO TUESDAY...RESULTING IN AREAS OF BLOWING AND
DRIFTING SNOW WITH SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED VISIBILITIES.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF
SNOW ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS. ONLY TRAVEL IN
AN EMERGENCY. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL...KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT...
FOOD... AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.
.JPG)
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