Eastern rains will exit off the coast today while the snows we discussed on Monday for the Rockies are revving up for an excellent show. As we discussed on Monday, future heavy snows with the approaching system will be concentrated upon the mountains of Colorado and southern Wyoming (mostly above 5,000ft), as well as the eastern slopes and foothills of the front range.
In anticipation of the upcoming show, the National Weather Service office out of Cheyenne, WY has issued a winter storm watch with the following text:
URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
1153 AM MDT WED APR 15 2009
SPRING STORM SYSTEM TO AFFECT PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST WYOMING LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING.
A STRONG STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING SETTING THE STAGE FOR A POSSIBLE HEAVY SNOWFALLEVENT ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST WYOMING.
WYZ064>066-152200-/O.CON.KCYS.WS.A.0008.090416T1200Z-090418T1200Z/
NORTH LARAMIE RANGE-LARAMIE VALLEY-LARAMIE RANGE-
1153 AM MDT WED APR 15 2009
WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY MORNING…A WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY MORNING.SNOW…POSSIBLY HEAVY AT TIMES…WILL DEVELOP THURSDAY MORNING AND CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. BY EARLY SATURDAYMORNING. SNOWFALL OF 4 TO 6 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE CITY OF LARAMIE WITH 10 TO 14 INCHES POSSIBLE IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONSOF THE LARAMIE RANGE.A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW…SLEET…OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.
On Monday we also discussed the potential for severe thunderstorms on Thursday and Friday, which appears to be holding true for the moment. The Storm Prediction Center has issued slight risks in their Convective Outlook category for tomorrow and Friday revolving around a developing dryline in the Midland / Garden City corridor, a very normal development for this time of year. For those interested in the best surface based storms, the high plains of New Mexico and western Texas will present the best odds. These will eventually develop into linear storms, with the best potential vorticity concentrated on the southern edge of the developing systems. In the Colorado to Western Kansas corridor, enhanced lowlevel shear with the eminent impulse of a strong low level jet will create an excellent shear profile in the atmospheric column. Concerns are lower dew points that will result in higher than desirable lcls, however lower temperatures should compensate to create an environment favorable for development.
Flooding is still ongoing for the Dakotas and Western Minnesota. Our Rivers & Lakes center contains complete conditions and forecasts for all rivers in the nation.
Please be sure to view our Advisory and Radar Centers for the latest updates and developments.
As always stay tuned to your favorite weather outlet, stay informed, and stay safe!
cheers,
–patrick
Today we added a new HW Live Search map that displays the locations of the latest search requests on the HAMweather website. The map updates in near real time, refreshing with the latest locations every few seconds and visualizes the amazing diversity of locations world-wide that HAMweather provides forecasts for.
Inspiration arose after seeing the Zappos.com real-time purchase map, after which we quickly realized we could apply the same concept with weather requests on the HAMweather site. We are also testing a 3D globe version.
Note that the HAMweather website often receives a high volume of search requests, because of this the map may only display the latest search requests.
The storminess we discussed last week that would continue over the weekend certainly performed up to expectations. At the time of this writing our Storm Report center shows a total of 83 funnel cloud / tornado reports for the last 4 days.
For today, severe thunderstorms will continue to be active for the southeastern United States as the Storm Prediction Center has issued a slight risk in their Convective Outlook category today. The main threat resides around strong winds, large hail, and the potential for tornadoes. Heavy rains will also accompany the thunderstorms today, with the potential for 2” plus totals in the panhandle of Florida, southeastern Alabama, and central and southern Georgia.
After today, the severe thunderstorms will quiet down for a bit, hibernating until the end of the week with the potential for more severe storms on Thursday and Friday.
On the snow front, things are considerably quieter, with the potential for more snow on top of what was received yesterday in the Cascades of Washington and Oregon. Tomorrow snow will pickup in Wyoming and Utah, including Yellowstone National Park as a vigorous spring system moves through, with impressive snow totals possible. Winter Storm Watches have already been issued in advance of the storm.
Please be sure to view our Advisory and Radar Centers for the latest updates and developments.
As always stay tuned to your favorite weather outlet, stay informed, and stay safe!
cheers,
–patrick
The storms we discussed firing up midweek are doing so today as the Storm Prediction Center has issued a Moderate Risk classification in their Convective Outlook category concentrating on an area from southeastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma east into Arkansas and Missouri. The concern surrounds the developing low we discussed last week along with the well defined vertical shear that will result in the development of supercellular storms capable of producing strong winds, large hail, and tornadoes. Of the storms that develop, those that become supercellular and maintain themselves will have the best potential for producing long-lived tornadoes.
Along the northwestern flank of our developing spring system, snow is in the cards for at least Nebraska and South Dakota today. Our Advisory center shows active winter weather advisories calling for accumulations varying from two to five inches. Snow is also active in other areas of the country with winter storm warnings ongoing in Montana and Wyoming, and winter weather advisories for the northern Sierras in the interior of northern California.
Overall we are entering the active season for severe weather and we will see the potential for severe thunderstorms through the balance of this week, over the weekend, and into the beginning of next week.
Please be sure to view our Advisory and Radar Centers for the latest updates and developments.
As always stay tuned to your favorite weather outlet, stay informed, and stay safe!
cheers,
–patrick
Our blizzard certainly moved through with respectable ferocity as it continues its push to the northeast. Heavy rainfall is forecast to fall up to around 2” or so, while heavier amounts are possible especially in forced areas over much of New York State and New England. Those in the Midwest, Great Lakes States, and Appalachia should keep an eye on the colder air wrapping in behind the system today where up to 7” of snow are possible in northern Pennsylvania and western New York tomorrow. Winter Storm Warnings and various Winter Related Watches are active along eastern Michigan and the eastern shores of the Great Lakes this morning in advance of the moving system. A sample off the watch related advisories for Buffalo, NY is below:
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
456 AM EDT MON APR 6 2009
...SIGNIFICANT OUT OF SEASON SNOWS EXPECTED TONIGHT INTO
TUESDAY...
.DEEPENING LOW PRESSURE NEAR ERIE PENNSYLVANIA AT DAYBREAK WILL
SLOWLY DRIFT ACROSS WESTERN NEW YORK TODAY...THEN WILL MAKE ITS
WAY ACROSS THE ADIRONDACKS TO SOUTHERN QUEBEC TONIGHT. COLDER AIR
WRAPPING IN BEHIND THE STRENGTHENING STORM SYSTEM WILL CHANGE OUR
RAIN TO WET SNOW FROM WEST TO EAST DURING THE COURSE OF TONIGHT.
THIS WILL RESULT IN WIDESPREAD SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ACROSS THE
REGION WITH THE MOST SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TONIGHT FORECAST
TO BE OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN SOUTH OF BUFFALO AND BATAVIA.
THE WET SNOW WILL CONTINUE ACROSS ALL OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL
NEW YORK ON TUESDAY...ALTHOUGH SOME LIGHT RAIN MAY MIX BACK IN
ACROSS THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED
FOR ALL AREAS AS A RESULT...WITH THE HIGHEST SNOWFALL AMOUNTS
STILL BEING FOUND OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN.
THE WIDESPREAD GENERAL SNOWFALL ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEW
YORK WILL TAPER OFF TUESDAY NIGHT...EXCEPT ACROSS THE WESTERN
SOUTHERN TIER AND TUG HILL PLATEAU WHERE MORE FOCUSED AREAS OF
LAKE EFFECT SNOW WILL LIKELY GENERATE EVEN MORE IMPRESSIVE SNOWFALL
AMOUNTS.
THE UPCOMING HEAVY WET SNOW WILL LIKELY IMPACT TRAVEL ACROSS THE
REGION MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY...AND THERE COULD EVEN BE SOME
SPOTTY POWER OUTAGES ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN DUE TO THE HEAVY
WET NATURE OF THE SNOW. UNLIKE THE OCTOBER 2006 EVENT WHERE
FOLIATED TREES CONTRIBUTED TO THE HIGH IMPACT...THE REGION IS
FORTUNATE THAT OUR GROWING SEASON HAS YET TO BEGIN.
Several new snow records were recorded with the movement of our low through the northern plains and into the Midwest. View the Records Section of our Climate Center, and remember to use the “Custom Map Generator” to view combined dates in recent history for complete details.
Please be sure to view our Advisory and Radar Centers for the latest updates and developments.
As always stay tuned to your favorite weather outlet, stay informed, and stay safe!
cheers,
–patrick
