Winter Storm Warning: Sticking with 5-10" (for now)

WINTER STORM WARNING THROUGH 6 AM TUESDAY -- STICKING WITH 5-10" POSSIBLE

Feeling a little better today so far, we'll see how long it lasts...

While the DC area deals with digging out form a history making snowstorm, not to mention one of the snowiest winters on record for the area (for example, Dulles Airport has had 60.0 inches of snow this winter (normal 13.6 inches) and Philadelphia has had 56.5 inches of snow (normal 10.7 inches)), we have only had 25.4" of snow this year, a chunk of which came in December with our Christmas Blizzard. But finally, another system is taking a look at hitting the upper Midwest... before heading out and dumping rain on top of all the snow in DC.

This storm is going to be long-duration BUT somewhat slow-accumulating storm. Even though the NWS, and many others, have upped their snow totals, I 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 two day 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, otherwise we'd only be looking at a few inches (and probably a Winter Weather Advisory).

Snow totals look this way: 1-3" during the day Sunday, 2-4" Sunday Night, 2-4" Monday, 1-2" Monday Night, and 1-2" Tuesday if the storm sticks around long enough. While those numbers don't add up to my totals here, I do not believe at this time that I can push my final snow totals up from 5-10" across the area, 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
1258 PM CST SUN FEB 7 2010

...LONG LASTING ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON
THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING...

.A TWO TO TWO AND A HALF DAY SNOWFALL EVENT...WITH SOME
COMMUNITIES EXPERIENCING SIGNIFICANT TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS...WILL
IMPACT THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. DUE TO
THE LENGTHY DURATION OF THE SNOW...THIS WEATHER SYSTEM HAS THE
INCREASING LIKELIHOOD TO PRODUCE A BROAD SWATH OF SNOWFALL TOTALS
OF 6 TO 14 INCHES OVER A TWO DAY PERIOD. THESE LARGE SNOWFALL
TOTALS ARE MOST CONFIDENT TO OCCUR FROM NEAR ALEXANDRIA AND
LITTLE FALLS SOUTHWARD TO LITCHFIELD AND WILLMAR. LIKELIHOOD IS
INCREASING FOR THESE HIGH SNOWFALL AMOUNTS TO ALSO BE EXPERIENCED
ACROSS THE WEST SIDE OF THE TWIN CITIES METRO AREA AND INTO SOUTH
CENTRAL MINNESOTA. THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA WILL SEE
ACCUMULATING SNOW OF AT LEAST SEVERAL INCHES. SOME OF THE HIGHER
ACCUMULATIONS WITH THIS EVENT ARE LIKELY OVERNIGHT THROUGH MONDAY
EVENING.

ACCUMULATING SNOW WAS DEVELOPING...OR OCCURRING OVER PORTIONS OF
WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA THIS AFTERNOON AND WILL
SPREAD INTO CENTRAL MINNESOTA AS WELL. EXPECT THE SNOW TO INCREASE
OVER SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA TONIGHT. A STRONG UPPER LEVEL
DISTURBANCE MOVES SOUTH INTO THE DAKOTAS BY EARLY MONDAY... BEFORE
SWINGING SLOWLY SOUTHEAST ACROSS IOWA AND INTO ILLINOIS ON
TUESDAY. THIS SLOW MOVEMENT IS THE PRIME REASON OF THE LONG
DURATION SNOWFALL AND THE HEAVIER TOTAL AMOUNTS.

NORTH WINDS OF 15 TO 20 MPH WILL DEVELOP ACROSS PARTS OF FAR WEST
CENTRAL MINNESOTA TONIGHT AND MONDAY...AND THEN SPREAD SOUTHEAST
ACROSS THE MINNESOTA RIVER VALLEY ON TUESDAY. THE WINDS WILL
LIKELY LEAD TO AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW...WHICH WOULD
CAUSE TRAVEL CONDITIONS TO FURTHER DETERIORATE.

THE WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PORTION OF
WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA FROM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT.
THIS INCLUDES ALEXANDRIA...LITCHFIELD...LITTLE FALLS...WILLMAR...
AND THE INTERSTATE 94 CORRIDOR NORTHWEST OF ST CLOUD.

A WINTER STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR AREAS TO THE SOUTH AND EAST
OF THE WATCH...FROM TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY TUESDAY. THIS INCLUDES
MUCH OF THE TWIN CITIES METROPOLITAN AREA...AS WELL AS ALBERT
LEA...CAMBRIDGE...HUTCHINSON...FAIRMONT...MANKATO...REDWOOD
FALLS...RED WING...AND THE INTERSTATE 35 AND 90 CORRIDORS.

WHILE CONFIDENCE OF SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL FOR THE AREA CONTINUES
TO INCREASE...UNCERTAINTY REMAINS ON EXACTLY HOW THIS WEATHER
SYSTEM WILL INTERACT WITH ANOTHER WINTER STORM ACROSS THE CENTRAL
PLAINS STATES ON MONDAY. IT DOES APPEAR THAT AN UPGRADE TO
WARNINGS WILL BE NEEDED FOR MORE OF CENTRAL INTO SOUTH CENTRAL
MINNESOTA FOR TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY. STAY TUNED FOR LATER
FORECASTS AND LIKELY EXPANSION OF WARNINGS ON THIS POTENTIALLY
SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM.

MNZ041>043-047>050-055>058-080300-
/O.CON.KMPX.WS.W.0003.000000T0000Z-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
1258 PM CST SUN FEB 7 2010

...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM CST
TUESDAY...

A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM CST TUESDAY.

* TIMING...SNOW WILL INCREASING IN INTENSITY THIS AFTERNOON. THE
HEAVIEST SNOW IS EXPECTED FROM TONIGHT INTO MONDAY AFTERNOON.

* MAIN IMPACT...TWO DAY SNOWFALL TOTALS BETWEEN 10 AND 14 INCHES.

* OTHER IMPACTS...GUSTY NORTH WINDS WILL DEVELOP FOR PARTS OF FAR
WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA LATE TONIGHT AND MONDAY AND POSSIBLY
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.