After a week of heavy rain and snow, the west finally gets a break but the storm system that brought a tornado to Huntington Beach, CA is now affecting areas to the east of the Mississippi River Valley. Some areas in the Midwest have already picked up close to ten inches worth of snow and the freezing rain and rain made it messy for those who enjoy their winter sports. The Saint Paul Winter Carnival got rained out and a lot of the ice sculptures continue to melt and they also had to postpone the US Pond Hockey tournament in Minneapolis because instead of being ice ponds they were rain ponds. The real story for the Midwest though will be the gusty winds that this area of low pressure will be bringing… Pierre, SD earlier today had sustained winds of 40 mph gusting to 50 mph and this scenario will be moving east by Monday. Temperatures for this week will be way different from what we had this past couple of days though we are not expecting the arctic air to plunge down south into Florida like we saw at the beginning of the year, cities in the Midwest will struggle to get out of the upper teens and even in New England temperatures will be frigid. The northeast will get pounded with rain, some localized areas could get up to 3 inches and this is why some cities in Pennsylvania are under flash flood watches. So tomorrow not a good day to walk around the National Mall in D.C. or even go shopping in the Big Apple as you can see from the graphics below.
Northeast Precipitation
Mid-Atlantic Precip
Another storm system is expected to impact the Pacific northwest by tonight and then eventually that storm will bring more snow and rain to places like Texas, Colorado, and even Arizona where this past week some mountains received up to 92 inches of snowfall, yes, you read it right… 92 inches in 5 days!!!! Avalanche warnings are in effect for the Southern Rockies and the Sierra Nevada where after getting around 9 feet of snow the temperatures are rising and strong winds are also in the forecast creating a huge risk for a slab of ice/snow to break loose. Make sure to drive safely if you are planning a trip to the High Country and have your winter kit with all its essentials.
Have a great Sunday and now it is time to enjoy the football games! May the best team make it to the Superbowl.
Denise Isaac
WeatherNation LLC Meteorologist
No matter what, there always seems to be some interesting weather event going on somewhere in the United States. Well, it can’t be sunny and nice all the time or I’d be out of a job, right? This past week though has been particularly impressive… from rain, ice storms, mudslides, tornadoes, floods–you name it, we’ve seen it! This train of storms has been relentless and seemingly neverending–until now. I think there finally is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Let’s talk California. Many areas (like San Diego and the Bay Area) are on their 6th day straight of rain. Some of the driest spots of the country have seem record breaking, debilitating rain. It doesn’t take much in these dry areas for flooding to occur as well as mudslides. Palm Springs has come in at a 4.16″ six day rain total. Devore is at a whopping 9.06″! La Canada Flintridge has been evacuating homes due to mudslides. Riverside County experienced its first January tornado in 60 years! How can we forget Arizona? They too have dealth with a tremendous amount of rain… and snow for that matter! Rain accumulations from this storm are over 10″ for some areas! And check out these snow reports:
SUNRISE MOUNTAIN 70 INCHES (5AM MST FRI)
ARIZONA SNOWBOWL 67 TO 92 INCHES (7AM MST SAT)
NORTH FLAGSTAFF 55.6 INCHES (10AM MST SAT)
GRAND CANYON S RIM 51 TO 55 INCHES (7AM MST SAT)
FLAGSTAFF AIRPORT 53.8 INCHES (5AM MST SAT)
BELLEMONT 52.5 INCHES (5AM MST SAT)
MUNDS PARK 50.0 INCHES (9AM MST SAT)
KACHINA VILLAGE 48.0 INCHES (9AM MST SAT)
MCNARY 2N 43 INCHES (7AM MST SAT)
TONTO VILLAGE 41 INCHES (8AM MST SAT)
WILLIAMS 39 TO 43 INCHES (1030AM MST FRI)
HEBER 26 TO 29 INCHES (7AM MST SAT)
CONCHO 7.5 TO 8.5 INCHES (5AM MST SAT)
Impressive, hm? Fortunately, things have really settled down today out west. A much needed break is in store for the Southwest though it won’t last too long. Another storm is projected to push into the Southwest next week (Tuesday), but it won’t be anything like the mess we’ve seen this week.
Southwest 7 Day Rain Total
Unfortunately, while the west seems to be calming down, it has been quite the opposite in the nation’s mid section. That same storm system continued to march eastward and the weather has really deteriorated in the central U.S. January has been interesting in the Midwest. Climatologically, it is the snowiest month for many, but this year, December is standing strong at the snowiest month of the season thus far. It’s tough to beat those December blizzards. This week’s January thaw has brought in rounds of rain for areas that rarely see liquid precipitation during this time of year… like Minnesota. With south winds still in place across the Midwest, above freezing temperatures dominated the region. The problem here is what is going to happen when the cold air returns (and it will!). Ice, ice, ICE. You better believe it’s going to be very slippery at the end of this thaw. We’re expecting unseasonably warm weather for one more day or two, but next week, we’re back to our usual Winter business in the Midwest as temperatures drop from the mid to upper 30s to the teens and single digits.
Sunday's Severe Weather Threat
We’re going to be watching the east region closely tomorrow with this storm advancing eastward–there is a potential for severe weather in the Southeast. Heavy rain and flooding won’t be out of the question as the ground is quite saturated in the area. It’s been a soggy start to the year in states like Florida, Alabama and Georgia. It’s interesting coming out of some of the driest years on record (2007 and 2008). I remember frequently talking about the drought and water restrictions.
Atlanta’s Annual Rain Totals
2009: 69.43″
2008: 41.43″
2007: 31.85″
Annual Average: 50.20″
2009 turned out to be a SOGGY year for many and so far, 2010 is starting off on a wet foot. We’ll see…
Susie Martin
WeatherNation Meteorologist
No arctic air was present this week across the country. We are now halfway through meteorological winter (December-February) and the worst may be behind us. Yes, there could and will be occasional bouts of cold weather but for the most part the character-building cold may be behind us. In fact, over the next few days, it will be warm enough for rain in the Midwest and Northeast. As the Southwest catches a break from the recent rash of storms, the Northern Plains and Midwest is in store for a wide variety of weather this weekend.
Heavy snow can be expected for the Dakotas and northwestern Minnesota. Elsewhere, a warm and moist southerly flow will give way to spots of freezing rain and snow with most areas receiving just plain rain. I’ll add that it’s a bit unusual to have a rain event in late January over the Midwest. This is what we are thinking for tomorrow…
Saturday Forecast
Showers and thunderstorms will spring up early tomorrow near Oklahoma City, Dallas and Little Rock and move east through the day as the Midwest storm drags a front across the South Central region. A few of these storms may be severe, therefore, the Storm Prediction Center has outlined the targeted area for tomorrow.
On Sunday, rain will begin to change to snow over the Midwest as colder air moves in behind the storm. The Northeast will be in the “warm sector” of the storm allowing for rain…yes, rain! Not totally typical for late January standards! Anyways, a few thunderstorms may accompany the rain and a few may be severe across the Ohio River Valley.
Sunday Forecast
Safe travels this weekend and have a good one!
Kristin Clark
WeatherNation Meteorologist
Flooding, high winds, mudslides even tornadoes have all been reported in southern California this week. The violent weather continues again today across the Southwest. Like a softball pitcher winding up and hurling the ball at the catcher, a broad area of low pressure off the West Coast is routinely spinning storms into the western U.S. Each one of these “softballs” or storms will make a trek across the country with each one leaving it’s mark. Severe weather yesterday and this morning occurred from Texas to Florida as one of these storms moved over the Mid-Mississippi Valley. This storm is now weakening and moving into the Mid-Atlantic region where it will produce areas of rain, freezing rain/sleet and snow.
The National Weather Service provides a forecast track of surface lows. This weekend there is a succession of three across the country.
The next pitch has been thrown and this storm is the one causing all the crazy weather currently in southern California. In addition to heavy rain, significant high elevation snow has fallen. Flagstaff, AZ has picked up 8-12″ of snow so far and the California snowpack statewide is now 107% of normal.
Flagstaff, AZ January 21, 2010
Phoenix, Tuscon and Scottsdale are under a threat of flooding as heavier rain moves in tonight. A bulls eye of 5-7″ of rain is forecast just north and east of downtown Phoenix. The record rainfall for this date in Phoenix is 0.71″ set back in 1962. This record could get shattered with over 5″ of rain anticipated.
Flooded backyard in Scottsdale, AZ
Dry weather will return by the weekend across the Southwest as the storm travels north into the Northern Plains. Once there, the storm could produce significant snow (10″+) in North Dakota and west central Minnesota. Freezing rain and rain is expected to fall over the Upper Midwest Saturday.
This is the rainy season in the Southwest. The rainy season typically runs through March but during an El Nino year, like the one we have now, the rainy season is known for extending into April and May. Below is a three-month forecast from February to March outlining above normal precipitation for the southern U.S. This is very typical during an El Nino year.
Kristin Clark
WeatherNation Meteorologist
Hello and happy Tuesday everyone, hope you are doing alright. Take a look at the image below of the jet stream or strong upper level winds. Note, the rainbow of colors out west in the Pacific Ocean – this is a power house jet stream – roaring at over 200mph! It’s not unprecedented, but it’s not an everyday occurrence.
From Drought to Extreme Spout
Take a look at the drought situation in the southwest – this report was released by the U.S. Drought Monitor last Thursday. It’ll be interesting to see how this changes by this Thursday and even next Thursday after all this heavy rain/snow is doneski
5 Day Rainfall Around the Nation
This should help the drought situation out a little bit – too bad it’s coming in all at once!
Have a happy Tuesday!!
Meteorologist Todd Nelson – WeatherNation LLC
