Updraft: February 26, 2009 Archive

A dump of fresh snow

Posted at 6:59 AM on February 26, 2009 by Craig Edwards

Clouds are exploding with snowflakes this morning from the Dakotas to Minnesota. The predicted heavy snowfall is on track for the southern half of the state. Paul and I are looking for accumulations of from four to seven inches in a large swath from Montevideo to Eau Claire, which includes the Metro.

Twin Cities radar

This is a progressive weather system. The snow will have a sharp back edge and will end from west to east from mid afternoon into the evening. Winds of up to 25 mph will blow the snow through the darkness hours. Chilly air over the region keeps the snowpack in place for your recreational enjoyment Saturday and Sunday.

CE
Naturesmessenger.com

A different look

Posted at 9:09 AM on February 26, 2009 by Craig Edwards (3 Comments)

Hope you enjoyed your morning commute, because the ride home will be an entirely different story.

As predicted, the snow held off for the morning rush in the metro. But heavy snow, falling faster than an inch per hour, has reached west central and southwest Minnesota. We expect heavy accumulations, of up to an inch per hour, from around 11am to 6pm in the Twin Cities.

Stiff northeast winds will result in blowing and drifting snow, making for very difficult travel.

Regional Radar...blue is snow and purple is freezing rain

CE

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A late arrival

Posted at 11:51 AM on February 26, 2009 by Craig Edwards

Snow was late in arriving in the Twin Cities, but the flakes are flying in the southwest metro at noon.

Snow accumulations of up to six inches have been reported in west central Minnesota in the past twelve hours. Since the heavy snow was delayed in east central Minnesota it may cut down on the overall accumulation. I am still thinking four to seven inches.

We will continue to watch the radar, surface reports and the track of the surface low pressure out of Kansas City headed towards Chicago.

Plan on a slow go for your evening commute. We would be pressed to call it a rush hour.

Snowfall reports to the NWS in Chanhassen

Better late than never

Posted at 12:18 PM on February 26, 2009 by Paul Huttner (2 Comments)

First wave of snow coats the Huttner Weather Lab today. Dog and owner hunker down.

They say better late than never.

The first wave of snow hit the Huttner Weather Lab at 11:55am and is spreading over the metro during the noon hour. Radar and surface reports indicate a band of heavy snow west of the metro moving in this afternoon.

Here are some snow totals so far:

-Willmar 2.5"
-Hutchinson 3.5"
-St. Stephen 3.5"
-Benson 4"
-Canby 4"
-Mankato 5.5"
-Lamberton 5.5"
-Springfield 6"
-Madison 6"
-Donnelly 7.7"

It looks like our late start may trim snow totals just a bit. Right now 3" to 7" seems like a good range for the metro, down an inch from the 4" to 8" we put out yesterday. There is thunder in southern Minnesota near Albert Lea and along the I-90 corridor, so it's possible to get a few convective snowbursts this afternoon.

Updates as we go through the afternoon.

PH

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Quick burst; thunder south

Posted at 1:50 PM on February 26, 2009 by Paul Huttner (5 Comments)

Snow at the Huttner Weather Lab in the west metro as of 1:30pm near 2"

The first wave of snow with this system has produced fairly intense snowfall rates as it moves through the metro.

Chanhassen has picked up a quick 3". Deephaven reports 2" in about 2.5 hours.

Thundersnow has been reported at Lakeville, Waseca, Owatonna, Faribault, Austin and Rochester. These convective snow bands are producing snowfall rates of 1" to 2" per hour from the southeast metro southward to the Iowa border.

With 3" already down at Chanhassen in the southwest metro, the going forecast of a range of 3" to 7" inches for the metro still looks fairly good. The best chance of 7" appears to be in the southeast metro in Dakota County.

Latest radar trends indicate snow intensities may diminish a bit by PM rush. Hopefully plows will be able to keep up in most metro locations.

Stay tuned!

Twin Cities radar loop
Latest surface map
Current hourly surface reports
Twin Cities NWS storm page

PH

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High variability

Posted at 3:45 PM on February 26, 2009 by Paul Huttner

Snowstorms are like snowflakes. No two are alike.

It's interesting how today's system hit quick and hard. Often systems start more slowly and build in snowfall intensity.

We're also seeing high variability in snow intensity and amounts. This is often the case in snow systems, and it's why we give a range in snowfall forecasts over an area the size of the Twin Cities metro.

Some updated metro totals as of 3:45pm.

Deephaven 3"
Eden Prairie 4"
Burnsville 4"
Prior Lake 4"
Lakeville 4.2"
SW St. Paul 5.5"
Bloomington 6"

We've had some intense rates in convective snowbursts. UM St. Paul campus picked up 2.9" in one hour. Lakeville got 4"!

PH

Round 2

Posted at 5:36 PM on February 26, 2009 by Paul Huttner (3 Comments)

Snow intensity increases again at the Huttner Weather Lab in the west metro at 5:30pm.

It's adding up. I'm on the low end of snow totals with about 4" here at the weather lab.

Prolific snow totals are reported in Sargent County North Dakota west of Fargo.

-Cayuga, ND has 12"
-Havana, ND has 16"

In Minnesota:

-Wheaton reports 13"
-Donnelley 9.3"
-Carlos 9"
-Madison 7"

In the metro:

Lakeville 5"
Burnsville 5.1"
Woodbury 5.5"
Highland Park 5.7"
Bloomington 6"

The second wave is setting up a "pivot point" near the metro. That means it could snow here well into tonight. I expect at least another 1" to 2" and maybe more around the metro.

Stay tuned!

PH

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Snow tapers; winds kick in

Posted at 8:56 PM on February 26, 2009 by Paul Huttner (2 Comments)

Snow will taper in the metro between now and midnight.

As we look forward overnight and into Friday the bigger factors are wind and cold. Expect gusty north winds to over 30 mph and blowing and drifting snow. Roads will remain slick to icy into the AM drive time.

Check up on the latest snow totals. We have some impressive amounts with this storm.

This was a pretty amazing system. It came in pretty much as advertised with very few surprises. The biggest surprise was that it came in about 1-2 hours later than I expected on Wednesday. Like a late guest to a party with a grand arrival, it made up for lost time in a hurry with an intense convective snow band.

Minnesotans from Lakeville to Owatonna, Waseca, Faribault, Austin and Rochester experienced the first thunder of the year. Convective snowbursts produced an incredible 2.9" in one hour at the UM St. Paul campus. An astounding 4" was recorded by a trained NWS spotter in Lakeville in one hour today. I don't know if that is a record, but it is the most snow I can remember in an hour in any storm in the metro.

Take it easy on the roads late tonight and tomorrow morning. Enjoy a cold but quiet weekend, and then we warm up early next week. Please feel free to reply with comments on your storm experience and your snow totals as things wind down.

Weather geeks unite!

PH

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'Nuff said

Posted at 9:34 PM on February 26, 2009 by Paul Huttner (1 Comments)

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