Updraft: December 12, 2008 Archive

Plan B

Posted at 7:46 AM on December 12, 2008 by Craig Edwards (1 Comments)

It was icy cold in northern Minnesota with morning lows ranging from 25 to 30 below zero from International Falls to Cook.

Locally, the back yard thermometer at the Eden Prairie weather lab recorded a minimum temperature of 9 below.

The lastest computer models are tending to push the milder air with this next storm system a tad further north. There is a lot of weather to play out in the next 36 hours before this advertised winter storm shows its face in Minnesota.

No boubt, Sunday appears to be the day of major concern. Have a plan B if you need to travel to western and northern Minnesota on Sunday. After this low pressure churns through the state, another slug of arctic air will take control for Monday through Wednesday.

Winter Storm page from Chanhassen NWS.

CE
naturesmessenger.com

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Stormy Sunday up north

Posted at 4:28 PM on December 12, 2008 by Paul Huttner (2 Comments)

Get ready up north for the strongest storm so far this season.

Today I listened in on the National Weather Service in Duluth's conference call with MnDOT, schools, county and homeland security officials to discuss the potential effects of the weekend storm on northern Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The bulk of the storm will move into northern and western Minnesota Saturday night. The worst conditions will peak Sunday and Sunday night.

The heaviest snow is likely to fall along a line from Sioux Falls, S.D., towards Brainerd and Duluth.

People within that area could see more than 10 inches of snow accumulation. Further north, the Iron Range and the the North Shore could see snow accumulations approaching or exceeding 16 inches.

In the Twin Cities and southern Minnesota, the storm may begin as a mixed bag of rain, freezing rain and sleet before changing over to snow from west to east during the day on Sunday.

It appears the mixed precipitation types may limit snow amounts in the metro, with a quick burst of snow later on Sunday and Sunday night.

A band of significant icing may set up between the Twin Cities and Duluth.

High winds Sunday and Sunday night could create blizzard conditions in the Dakotas and western Minnesota.

Extreme cold with wind chills of minus 20 to minus 30 degrees below zero will follow the storm Sunday night and Monday.

It will be interesting to see if Lake Superior enhanced snow plumes develop with the storm Sunday.

Stay safe in your travels this weekend.

Twin Cities NWS storm page

PH

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