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Northern Plains Late Season Winter Storm


mnweather

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The GFS, Euro, and NAM are indicating a late season winter storm coming out of the Rockies towards the end of the weekend.  The GGEM is not as impressive though.  It looks to be having some issues with phasing.  Exact track and amounts are too early to say but this does look like it has some good potential to dump on someone.    

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From DLH.  Looks like the NAM is the outlier to them. It has been pretty far north this year in its extended range so this could be one of those times again.  We'll see.... 

.LONG TERM...SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...A MAINLY DRY WEEKEND WITH THE EXCEPTION OF TWO AREAS: LINGERING LAKEENHANCED SNOW SHOWERS POSSIBLY OVER THE ERN EDGE OF THE GOGEBICRANGE SATURDAY NIGHT....AND LEADING EDGE OF LIGHT SNOW POSSIBLYENTERING WRN EDGE OF CWA SUNDAY AFTERNOON. MDLS HAVE TRENDED SLOWERIN PRECIP ARRIVAL FROM WEATHER SYSTEM DEVELOPING OVER NRN PLAINSSUNDAY. SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT IS COMPLICATED BY PRESENCE OF TWOSEPARATE STREAMS OF FLOW ALOFT. NAM IS NRN OUTLIER OF SFC LOW TRACKAS IT ALLOWS SFC LOW TO BE CARRIED WELL NORTH OF OTHER MDLS BYSPLITTING OF UPPER LVL SHORTWAVE TROF. WILL LEAN WITH NON-NAM/SREFCONSENSUS FOR NOW UNTIL SIGNALS DEVELOP OF POSSIBLE SHIFT NORTH. ITIS TOO DIFFICULT TO ASCERTAIN WHETHER INJECTION/PHASING OF NRNBRANCH OF JET STREAM CREATES SIGNIFICANT DEEPENING OF SFC SYSTEMMONDAY. ERRATIC MVMT OF SFC LOW ON GEM ALSO TESTIMONY TO MDLS LOWCONFIDENCE ON PHASING OF JET STREAM BRANCHES. WIDESPREAD SNOWFALLSTILL EXPECTED WITH POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATION GIVENKINEMATICS/THERMODYNAMICS ADVERTISED BY NWP. DEEP NATURE OF CYCLONICCIRCULATION SHOULD KEEP SNOW GOING THROUGH MIDNIGHT BEFORE TAPERING.SNOW EXPECTED AT LEAST IN ARROWHEAD AND WISC ZONES TUESDAY AS SYSTEMIS SLOW TO MOVE EAST. CLOUDS ARE A CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY DUE TOUNCERTAINTY OF CIRCULATION FROM ERN SYSTEM. LATEST ALLBLENDPROCEDURE IS FAIRLY OPTIMISTIC AND THIS MAY NEED TO BE CHANGED.TEMPS REMAIN BLO CLIMO THIS PERIOD.
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URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND

417 PM CDT FRI MAR 15 2013

...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH

MONDAY AFTERNOON...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BISMARCK HAS ISSUED A WINTER

STORM WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH

MONDAY AFTERNOON.

INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...WATFORD CITY...KILLDEER...BEULAH...

HAZEN...CENTER...BEACH...MEDORA...DICKINSON...MANDAN...BISMARCK...

MARMARTH...MOTT...ELGIN...BOWMAN...HETTINGER...FORT YATES...

LINTON...NAPOLEON...ASHLEY...OAKES

417 PM CDT FRI MAR 15 2013 /317 PM MDT FRI MAR 15 2013

* TIMING...SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY MORNING.

* MAIN IMPACT...MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS POSSIBLE.

* OTHER IMPACTS...STRONG WINDS ACCOMPANYING THE POSSIBLE HEAVY

  SNOW MAY RESULT IN WIDESPREAD BLOWING SNOW. IN ADDITION...SNOW

  COVERED ROADS AND REDUCED VISIBILITIES MAY ALSO IMPACT TRAVEL

  CONDITIONS.

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URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND

749 PM CDT SAT MAR 16 2013

...WINTER STORM SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY...

.LOW PRESSURE WILL ORGANIZE ACROSS THE WESTERN DAKOTAS AND MOVE

THROUGH THE REGION SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY. SNOW WILL SPREAD FROM

WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE REGION SUNDAY EVENING AND CONTINUE INTO

MONDAY. AT THIS POINT IT APPEARS THE FAVORED AREA FOR HEAVY SNOW

WILL BE ALONG AND NORTH OF HIGHWAY 200 WHERE 6 TO 9 INCHES ARE

POSSIBLE. LESSER AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO THE SOUTH OF THE HEAVY

SNOW AREA. GUSTY SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL DEVELOP ON SUNDAY AND...WITH

SNOW DEVELOPING SUNDAY AFTERNOON...SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW WILL

REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO AS LITTLE AS ONE HALF MILE AND CREATE

TRAVEL PROBLEMS. AS THE SYSTEM MOVES EAST MONDAY...STRONG

NORTHWEST WINDS WILL DEVELOP AND MAY CAUSE BLIZZARD CONDITIONS

ACROSS PARTS OF THE REGION. STAY TUNED FOR LATER STATEMENTS AS

THIS STORM DEVELOPS.

INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CROOKSTON...EAST GRAND FORKS...

HALSTAD...HALLOCK...ROSEAU...WARREN...NEWFOLDEN...

THIEF RIVER FALLS...RED LAKE FALLS...FOSSTON...MAHNOMEN...CANDO...

LANGDON...CAVALIER...MADDOCK...LEEDS...DEVILS LAKE...GRAFTON...

NEW ROCKFORD...LAKOTA...GRAND FORKS...COOPERSTOWN...FINLEY...

MAYVILLE...ADAMS

749 PM CDT SAT MAR 16 2013

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM SUNDAY TO 7 PM CDT

MONDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A WINTER

STORM WARNING FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW...WHICH IS IN EFFECT

FROM 4 PM SUNDAY TO 7 PM CDT MONDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO

LONGER IN EFFECT.

* TIMING...SNOW IS EXPECTED TO SPREAD FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE

  REGION SUNDAY AFTERNOON...AND CONTINUE INTO MONDAY. WINDS WILL

  INCREASE LATE SUNDAY NIGHT AND CONTINUE STRONG THROUGH MONDAY.

* WINDS...SOUTHERLY WINDS GUSTING UP TO 30 MPH ON SUNDAY AND

  NORTHERLY WINDS UP TO 40 MPH ON MONDAY.

* VISIBILITIES...REDUCED TO AS LITTLE AS ONE HALF MILE IN BLOWING

  SNOW SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND POSSIBLY NEAR ONE QUARTER MILE ON

  MONDAY.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOWFALL OF 6 TO 9

  INCHES POSSIBLE ALONG AND NORTH OF HIGHWAY 200.

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URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN

845 PM CDT SAT MAR 16 2013

...BLIZZARD CONDITIONS POSSIBLE ACROSS WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA SUNDAY

NIGHT AND MONDAY...

.A LATE SEASON WINTER STORM WILL DEVELOP AND BRING A QUICK BURST OF

2 TO 4 INCHES OF SNOW SUNDAY EVENING ACROSS THE REGION. THIS

STORM WILL BECOME BETTER ORGANIZED AND DRIVE A POWERFUL COLD FRONT

THROUGH MINNESOTA INTO WESTERN WISCONSIN. WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS

OF 35 MPH...WITH GUSTS NEAR 45 MPH WILL FOLLOW BEHIND THE FRONT

DEVELOPING AFTER MIDNIGHT SUNDAY NIGHT AND LAST THROUGH MUCH OF

MONDAY. THESE STRONG WINDS WILL INTERACT WITH THE DEEP

SNOWPACK...AS WELL AS THE ADDITIONAL 2 TO 4 INCHES OF NEW

SNOW...AND CAUSE WHITE OUT CONDITIONS...ESPECIALLY ALONG

INTERSTATE 94 WEST OF ST CLOUD AND ALONG THE MINNESOTA RIVER

VALLEY. BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WILL BE THE WORST ALONG NORTH

SOUTH ORIENTED ROADS.

INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ALEXANDRIA...LONG PRAIRIE...MORRIS...

GLENWOOD...ST. CLOUD...MADISON...BENSON...MONTEVIDEO...WILLMAR...

LITCHFIELD...MONTICELLO...GRANITE FALLS...OLIVIA...HUTCHINSON...

GAYLORD...REDWOOD FALLS...NEW ULM...ST. PETER

845 PM CDT SAT MAR 16 2013

...BLIZZARD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY EVENING THROUGH LATE

MONDAY NIGHT...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN HAS ISSUED

A BLIZZARD WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY EVENING THROUGH

LATE MONDAY NIGHT.

* TIMING: SNOW WILL BEGIN SUNDAY EVENING...AND STRONG WINDS WILL

  DEVELOP AFTER MIDNIGHT SUNDAY NIGHT.

* WINDS/VISIBILITY: SUSTAINED WINDS OF 35 MPH...WITH GUSTS NEAR 45

  MPH WILL CAUSE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW RESULTING IN

  VISIBILITIES NEAR ZERO...ESPECIALLY IN OUTLYING AREAS.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: 2 TO 4 INCHES.

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MPX upgraded to a Blizzard Warning.

 

 

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1232 PM CDT SUN MAR 17 2013

...BLIZZARD CONDITIONS LIKELY ACROSS WESTERN...SOUTHERN AND
PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MINNESOTA LATE TONIGHT INTO MONDAY EVENING
...

.A LATE SEASON WINTER STORM WILL BRING A QUICK BURST OF 2 TO
5 INCHES OF SNOW FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY MONDAY ACROSS
THE REGION. THIS STORM WILL DRIVE A POWERFUL COLD FRONT THROUGH
MINNESOTA AND WESTERN WISCONSIN BY MIDDAY MONDAY.

WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH...WITH GUSTS OF AROUND
50 MPH WILL FOLLOW BEHIND THE FRONT OVER WESTERN AND SOUTHERN
MINNESOTA...PERSISTING INTO EARLY MONDAY EVENING. THESE STRONG
WINDS WILL INTERACT WITH THE NEW SNOW AND CAUSE WHITE OUT
CONDITIONS SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 94 AND WEST OF INTERSTATE
35...INCLUDING CARVER AND SCOTT COUNTIES IN MINNESOTA. SLIGHTLY
LIGHTER WINDS AND MORE TREES SHOULD PRECLUDE BLIZZARD CONDITIONS
OVER FAR EASTERN MINNESOTA AND WESTERN WISCONSIN...INCLUDING
HENNEPIN AND RAMSEY COUNTIES AND THE REMAINDER OF THE TWIN CITIES
METRO.

INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ALEXANDRIA...LONG PRAIRIE...MORRIS...
GLENWOOD...ST. CLOUD...MADISON...BENSON...MONTEVIDEO...WILLMAR...
LITCHFIELD...MONTICELLO...GRANITE FALLS...OLIVIA...HUTCHINSON...
GAYLORD...REDWOOD FALLS...NEW ULM...ST. PETER...LE SUEUR...
ST. JAMES...MANKATO...WASECA...OWATONNA...FAIRMONT...BLUE EARTH...
ALBERT LEA
1232 PM CDT SUN MAR 17 2013

...BLIZZARD WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM MONDAY TO 1 AM CDT
TUESDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN HAS ISSUED
A BLIZZARD WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM MONDAY TO 1 AM
CDT TUESDAY. THE BLIZZARD WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

* WINDS/VISIBILITY: SUSTAINED WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH...WITH GUSTS
  NEAR 50 MPH
WILL CAUSE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW AND NEAR ZERO
  VISIBILITY IN OPEN AREAS.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: 2 TO 4 INCHES.

* TIMING: SNOW WILL BEGIN LATE THIS EVENING AND TAPER OFF LATE
  MONDAY MORNING. STRONG WINDS WILL THEN DEVELOP MONDAY MORNING
  BEHIND A COLD FRONT BEFORE SUBSIDING MONDAY EVENING.

 

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Drove back to UND last afternoon and evening and visibilities were just awful from Sisseton to Fargo. I did find it fascinating how much a difference shelterbelts and even CRP areas made in terms of visibility. The long grass would catch just enough snow to make driving much easier.

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They closed campus this morning not an hour after saying it would be open all day. The upgrade to the Warning must have been what did it for them.

Shocked they closed for this. We had so many worse blizzards over the years and they never closed. UND was famous for not closing for anything for a number of years.

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Official depth is 12", although it varies quite a bit from place to place with the drifting. We're actually right around normal as far as total snowfall for the winter. It seems that a lot of it has fallen this month though

  

Snow depth is always a controversial topic.    NWS measures in an open field to the east of the office and thus is prone to lots of blowing....thus it can never get really deep there.   The snow depth in the field is not representative of in town....where snow depths in flat backyards in protected areas easily are 20-30 inches.     That makes comparing snow depths from place to place or observer to observer rather arbitary.    Most coops take measurements in their yard and thus in many cases their values are going to be a lot higher than the nearby fields.    So snow depth is certainly not a uniform number....and is only for the point and area where it is taken and cannot be made to be representative of any larger area.

 

It is my contentiion we should include some of the higher drifts in the tree line around the field (where the rugby club plays)  and include that in with the open field measurements to combine both.   I went out there last evening to measure and got 20-24 inches on the way out to the field between the parking lot and the tree line....then places with 12-14 in the field that had been blown over. 

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I was out in the Black Hills area on the 17th and ran into some harsh conditions, especially in eastern WY.

 

Posted some pictures and the story here > http://www.americanwx.com/bb/index.php/topic/39759-march-2013-general-discussion-part-2/page-3#entry2224384

 

Few more:

 

Badlands.

 

 

Not so harsh in the Hills, but snowy.

 

 

Rapid City.

 

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