Jump to content
  • Member Statistics

    17,606
    Total Members
    7,904
    Most Online
    ArlyDude
    Newest Member
    ArlyDude
    Joined

Feb. 26-Mar. 1st Winter Storm Potential


Chicago Storm

Recommended Posts

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO6 AM CST MONDAY...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHICAGO HAS ISSUED A WINTERWEATHER ADVISORY FOR FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET CHANGING OVER TOSNOW...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 AM CSTMONDAY.* TIMING...FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET FROM 8 PM THROUGH MIDNIGHT...THEN SNOW UNTIL EARLY MONDAY MORNING.* ACCUMULATIONS...ONE TO TWO TENTHS OF AN INCH OF SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN. TOTAL SNOWFALL OF 2 TO 4 INCHES.* HAZARDS...ACCUMULATING SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN CHANGING OVER TO ACCUMULATING SNOW.* IMPACTS...FREEZING PRECIPITATION WILL CAUSE DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 663
  • Created
  • Last Reply

LOT:

A MIXED BAG OF PRECIPITATION WILL OCCUR FROM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH

MID DAY TOMORROW AS A STRONG WARM FRONT SETS UP ACROSS THE REGION.

AS OF THIS AFTERNOON...A STRONG WARM FRONT HAS SET UP...EXTENDING

FROM DEEPENING LOW PRESSURE OVER THE OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE TO THROUGH

CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND INDIANA TO NORTHERN OHIO. AN UNSEASONABLY

WARM...MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS LIES TO THE SOUTH OF THE

FRONT...WITH LOW TO MIDDLE 50S DEWPOINTS ALREADY MOVING INTO CENTRAL

ILLINOIS...WHILE TEMPERATURES HAVE CLIMBED INTO THE MIDDLE TO UPPER

50S.

THERE HAS BEEN QUITE A BIT OF MODEL INCONSISTENCY IN HANDLING THIS

SYSTEM...BUT THE GUIDANCE IS FINALLY COMING INTO LINE. ONE OF THE

MAIN CONCERNS HAS BEEN HOW FAR NORTH THE WARM SURFACE AIR WILL

PENETRATE AND HOW FAST THE COLD AIR WILL MOVE SOUTHWARD OUT OF

WISCONSIN AND THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. THE AIRMASS IN THE

VICINITY OF THE BOUNDARY WILL BE QUITE VOLATILE AND STRONG

THUNDERSTORMS HAVE ALREADY BEEN OBSERVED IN THE AREA OF ELEVATED

INSTABILITY TO THE NORTH OF THE BOUNDARY. FORECAST PWS INCREASE TO

IN EXCESS OF 1 INCH IN THE WARM SECTOR AIR...AND AS THE REGION WILL

REMAIN UNDER STRONG FORCING AT BOTH THE SURFACE AND ALOFT...EXPECT

PERIODS OF STRONG SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO CONTINUE WELL INTO

THE EVENING. SOME STORMS HAVE ALREADY PRODUCED HAIL UP TO 1/2 INCH

WITH BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS. CONSIDERING THE PERSISTENT SOUTHWESTERLY

FETCH OF WARM/MOIST AIR AT THE LOW LEVELS...A LOW LEVEL JET OF 55KT

COUPLET WITH AN UPPER LEVEL JET OF 125KT...ALONG WITH PWS IN EXCESS

OF 1 INCH...WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAIN IS LIKELY. CURRENTLY EXPECT STORM

TOTAL QPF OF 1.0 TO 1.5 INCHES SOUTH OF I-80 AND 0.75 TO 1 INCH

NORTH OF I-80 TO THE WISCONSIN BORDER 21Z THIS AFTERNOON TO 21Z

TOMORROW AFTERNOON.

HOWEVER...THIS QPF WILL BE DIVIDED AMONG VARIOUS PCPN TYPES. GIVEN

THE EXPECTED TIMING OF THE CHANGEOVER FROM LIQUID TO FREEZING TO

FROZEN...THE NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA SHOULD SEE THE MOST SNOW

AND THE LEAST SLEET/FREEZING RAIN AND RAIN...WHILE THE SOUTHERN

SECTIONS RECEIVE THE MOST RAIN AND FREEZING PCPN AND CONSIDERABLY

LESS SNOW. WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE...EXPECT 2-4 INCHES OVER THE

NRN PORTIONS OF THE CWA AND LESS THAN AN INCH OVER THE SERN

SECTIONS. WITH THE MIXED BAG OF PCPN...TRAVEL MAY BECOME DIFFICULT

ACROSS THE ENTIRE CWA AT SOME POINT TONIGHT.

ONE WILDCARD IN THE PRECIPITATION FORECAST WILL BE CONVECTIVE

ACTIVITY. THE HIGHER RESOLUTION MODELS ARE INDICATING THE POTENTIAL

FOR BURSTS OF SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER PRECIPITATION RATES THAN

CURRENTLY FORECAST. IT IS DIFFICULT TO ASCERTAIN IF THE CONVECTIVE

BURSTS ARE UNREALISTIC CONVECTIVE FEEDBACK OR A REAL SIGNAL

INDICATING THE REAL POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER PRECIPITATION

AMOUNTS. DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE INCLUDING HIGHER SNOW OR

SLEET/FREEZING RAIN ACCUMULATIONS IN THE FORECAST...BUT THE

POSSIBILITY CANNOT BE ENTIRELY RULED OUT.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gotta admire the zone forecast for Chicago/Cook county. I love the Midwest.

TONIGHT

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS LATE IN THE AFTERNOON...THEN RAIN SHOWERS...THUNDERSTORMS...CHANCE OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET IN THE EVENING. FREEZING RAIN...SLEET AND A CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW AFTER MIDNIGHT. SOME THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL. SNOW AND SLEET ACCUMULATION OF 1 TO 2 INCHES. LOWS IN THE LOWER 30S. LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS LATE IN THE AFTERNOON BECOMING NORTH 10 TO 20 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 100 PERCENT.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

New Mesoscale discussion out...Boy oh Boy things could get nasty...

mcd0154.gif

AREAS AFFECTED...SERN IA...EXTREME NRN MO...NWRN/N-CNTRL IL

CONCERNING...WINTER MIXED PRECIPITATION

VALID 272350Z - 280545Z

A WINTRY MIX IS ANTICIPATED ACROSS PORTIONS OF SERN IA...EXTREME NRN

MO...AND NWRN/N-CNTRL IL THIS EVENING. FREEZING RAIN IS EXPECTED IN

THIS AREA...WITH RATES AOA 0.05 INCH PER HOUR POSSIBLE.

INCREASING ASCENT OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS HAS AIDED IN INITIATING A

CONVECTIVE COMPLEX OVER PORTIONS OF NRN MO...WITH STRATIFORM PRECIP

CURRENTLY EXTENDING INTO SRN IA. AS THIS ACTIVITY IS STEERED NEWD

THIS EVENING...AND ADDITIONAL SCATTERED CONVECTION DEVELOPS UPSTREAM

OVER PORTIONS OF ERN KS...PRECIPITATION WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE

ACROSS THE DISCUSSION AREA. OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS AT 23Z DEPICTS THE

SFC FREEZING LINE EXTENDING FROM NEAR DKB TO JUST NORTH OF LWD. COLD

AIR ADVECTION ACROSS THE REGION IS FORECAST TO NUDGE THE FREEZING

LINE SWD THIS EVENING. FREEZING RAIN WILL BE THE PRIMARY CONCERN

NORTH OF THIS LINE...GIVEN ELEVATED WARM NOSE TEMPERATURES AOA 3C

PER RUC FORECAST SOUNDINGS. HOWEVER...LATER IN THE

EVENING...ADDITIONAL LOW-LEVEL COOLING IS ANTICIPATED...WHICH COULD

ALLOW SLEET AND SNOW TO ALSO OCCUR. FREEZING RAIN RATES AOA 0.05

INCH PER HOUR WILL BE POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY ACROSS PORTIONS OF SERN

IA AND NWRN/N-CNTRL IL WHERE THE PRESENCE OF ELEVATED INSTABILITY

COULD ENHANCE UPRIGHT CONVECTION IN ADDITIONAL TO THUNDERSTORM

ACTIVITY. MOST OF THE PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO HAVE MOVED EWD

INTO IL BY 07Z.

..COHEN.. 02/27/2011

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm really hoping the precip makes it this far, it's gonna be close I think. The cutoff will be very sharp.

Reports of rain and sleet in MO and IA, probably will start seeing snow reports in that deep frontogenetic band over IA.

We just have to hope the broad band of precip starts to turn more NE rather than ENE. Maybe the band can take a surprise turn more northward.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It looks like Cedar Rapids is seeing some light freezing rain or snow on the radar. This is relevant because their forecast for tonight was 30% chance of a wintry mix. I maybe reaching, but maybe the band of moisture is just a tad northwest of what most of the models projected. Dubuque and Madison may even be able to squeak in on some action if they're lucky.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

my take right now is i don't think the northern edge makes it more than 60mi more north than where it is right now.

That would go along with the forecast. The good thing though, as I detailed, is that it looks like Cedar Rapids and maybe even Dubuque might get in on some freezing rain or snow. Both cities only expected a small chance of anything.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It looks like Cedar Rapids is seeing some light freezing rain or snow on the radar. This is relevant because their forecast for tonight was 30% chance of a wintry mix. I maybe reaching, but maybe the band of moisture is just a tad northwest of what most of the models projected. Dubuque and Madison may even be able to squeak in on some action if they're lucky.

That would go along with the forecast. The good thing though, as I detailed, is that it looks like Cedar Rapids and maybe even Dubuque might get in on some freezing rain or snow. Both cities only expected a small chance of anything.

You're getting ahead of yourself.

CID is riding the edge of the precip shield and it will stay south of Dubuque.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It looks like Cedar Rapids is seeing some light freezing rain or snow on the radar. This is relevant because their forecast for tonight was 30% chance of a wintry mix. I maybe reaching, but maybe the band of moisture is just a tad northwest of what most of the models projected. Dubuque and Madison may even be able to squeak in on some action if they're lucky.

We are getting what looks like a pretty good freezing mist. The car windows are glazed and the pavement is shiny. It appears the precip is as far nw as it will ever be in Iowa.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...