Posted on 01/30/2011 1:48:48 PM PST by listenhillary
A large winter storm forecast to unfold could adversely affect more than 100 million people this week from the Rockies to the Plains, South, Midwest and Northeast, if it develops to its full potential.
The latest indications continue to point toward a large storm forming amidst a building temperature contrast over the middle of the nation. Precipitation and strong cold air/warm air circulation around that storm will affect many millions of people from the interior West to the Atlantic Coast as next week progresses.
We are calling this system the Groundhog Day storm, and it will likely severely impact ground travel, and lead to canceled flights, school delays and closures. The storm is not only a concern for Wednesday, but for much of the week as the system moves along.
Warm air that built over the Plains this past week will be dramatically replaced by a charge of arctic air that will lead to blinding upslope snow along the High Plains and the Front Range of the Rockies.
As the cold air charges southward and becomes more shallow, a substantial ice storm may unfold for portions of the southern Plains. Meteorologist and former resident of the southern Plains, Heather Buchman, states, "This is the type of storm that could shut down the region with high winds, plunging temperatures, ice, snow and a rapid freeze-up on roads."
Expert Senior Meteorologist John Kocet points out, "Some parts of the Plains and Rockies may have a daily temperature drop of 50 degrees or more, caused by the storm."
If the storm develops to its full potential, parts of the Plains will experience life-threatening AccuWeather.com RealFeel® temperatures.
Nasty cold air, marked by near- or below-zero temperatures, could possibly grip areas during the day as arctic high pressure builds over the northern Rockies and Plains as the storm passes by.
The charge of cold air clashing with warm air will likely lead to heavy, perhaps severe, thunderstorms sweeping eastward through parts of the Mississippi Valley and South.
Depending on the storm's configuration as it heads to the eastern half of the nation, a zone of heavy snow and ice may form from parts of the Ohio Valley to the Northeast.
Depending on the track of the storm and how quickly it re-forms along the Atlantic Coast, heavy snow could blast part of the Great Lakes and much of the Northeast.
How nasty the storm gets and the primary form of precipitation for the Northeast, Midwest, interior South, and Plains depend on the exact track of the storm.
The storm will have many negative effects, especially in parts of the Northeast, where snow-removal budgets are blown and roofs are stressed to the failure point from the magnitude of prior, record-breaking snowstorms.
According to AccuWeather.com Chief Meteorologist Elliot Abrams, "Kids in portions of Kentucky have missed over two weeks of school already this winter."
Meteorologist Mark Mancuso stated, "This storm and perhaps a second storm could impact travel to the Super Bowl in Dallas next weekend, potentially from areas of ice, snow, high winds and cold."
OMG ! It’s winter and we are having winter weather.
How will we ever survive?
If any global warming folks are looking for the “missing” Arctic ice, it’s in my driveway...
I guess if I had to choose, I’d take snow over ice.
Having spent the day shoveling 1 ft + off the roof and using a chisel to remove ice dams from the gutters.
Well ain’t this GoreBull Warming just Grand! /s
I think we have some of that Gore-bull warming in my neck of the woods today—the temp hit 83 here......I love it!
I live in South Jersey.It looks like we are going to get the ice. Rather drive on snow than ice.
What’s the problem? We peckerwoods down south have always heard the folks up north know how to handle snow and ice.
Sunny and 66 degrees at 5 PM in Charlotte, NC :-)
From a meteorologist discussing this storm.
“Historic winter storm developing for portions of Missouri into Indiana. Portions of these states will be shut down in the coming days from heavy snow and ice. Significant infrastructure damage is likely because of heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain accumulations.”
another vave of Global Varming..
Asta La Vista.. Tahiti here I come. (I wish)
We’ve only had about a foot of total snow all winter here in south central michigan this winter but it sounds like we’re going to get dumped on along the I-94 corridor.
I’m seeing everything from 8 inches to two feet with 50 mph winds. The weather watch went up this morning and runs through to wednesday morning.
Its been a nice day today.
Reuters has it..
Major winter storm expected to hit Great Plains, eastern states
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110130/ts_nm/us_weather
CHICAGO (Reuters) – A massive storm system bringing heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain could potentially impact 100 million people as it slams the Rockies, Plains, and Midwest regions early this week before traveling to the eastern seaboard Wednesday, according to forecasts on Sunday.
Freezing rain is expected to develop Sunday night and continue through Monday, producing a light grazing of ice that could lead to dangerous travel conditions in the central states, the National Weather Service said, but the primary storm system will hit early Tuesday and continue through Tuesday night.
I remember about ten years back every local TV channel in the Northeast blaring news of a Giga-Storm brewing up in the South, predictions of three feet of snow and more had everyone in a panic buying anything not screwed down to the floor and then a day or two before, oooops, sorry folks, we were wrong, people so mad at them.
Certainly, weather forecasting has improved since then but still far from being infallible.
Re: “Sunny and 66 degrees at 5 PM in Charlotte, NC :-) “
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Rainy and cool (fifties) in Los Angeles today after many days of beautiful weather. But seriously, way back in the seventies I recall the east coast offices of the company I worked for out here would routinely close for ‘snow days.’
It seemed like numerous days per year the offices closed, due to lots of snow/ice. That’s why my family left the midwest eons ago.
I could be wrong but in more recent years there seem to have been fewer blizzards and such in the east, so now it’s deemed a huge crisis. Many people who would have remembered the winter ‘weather’ of the seventies or earlier are no longer with us.
Our driveway (length of football field and all downhill) has been nothing but ice for over a month. I put ice melt on it today as it got up to 50 degrees!!!
I think this coming storm is gonna be rain for us...thank goodness. I’m done with winter.
And forget about our roof. We are too old to do anything about it but pray.
Keep your generator gassed up and prepare to ride it out. We’ll catch it here in the Metro Detroit area as well.
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