Updraft: December 5, 2008 Archive

Just a thought

Posted at 8:26 AM on December 5, 2008 by Craig Edwards

Our goal in the weather lab is to minimize surprises when it comes to tomorrow's weather. We tend to look well ahead to find the dark cloud and thrive on the drama of storms, and changing conditions.

Snow is showing up on radar, but not yet reaching the ground over North Dakota. So before the first flakes touch the earfh, we are thinking about an inch of snow in far western Minnesota with up to three inches in eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin from late this afternoon to daybreak on Saturday.

Plenty of chilly air remains in place and your shopping Saturday will be blustery. More cold and bouts of snow are on tap for next week. Knowing what we know about the long range forecast of odds favoring a continuation of the cold, it might be wise to set aside a little sum of money for your December heating bill.

CE
naturesmessenger.com

Clipped again

Posted at 4:04 PM on December 5, 2008 by Paul Huttner (1 Comments)

A family of fast moving Albert Clippers is headed our way.

Twin Cities NWS weather story

Tonight's system will lay down a 1 to 3 inch swath over much of eastern North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Forests and roads in northeast Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin may see 2 to 4 inches by morning.

Twin Cities radar loop
MNDOT Twin Cities traffic cams

A second system due in on Sunday may drop similar or slightly higher amounts.

Alberta Clippers get their name from the fact that they speed our way through the Canadian Province of Alberta as you might guess. The "Clipper" part comes in because they move fast, similar to the speedy clipper ships of the 19th century.

Take it easy on the roads tonight. These little snow events with temperatures in the teens can create some of our slickest road conditions during the winter months.

Things may get more interesting for big snow around these parts just after mid-month.

Stay tuned!

PH

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