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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

Comments (3)

Craig,

I'm sure this is an old question but the radar shows snow north west and south of us but nothing in the metro. Is this a "heat island" effect or what causes this? Could it also be the ground clutter reduction on the radar display? I know it's not snowing in Minnetonka yet at 10:06.

Think spring!

Dave

Posted by Dave A. | February 26, 2009 10:07 AM

What you see on radar is the radar beam returning the signal from snowflakes in the clouds. Since the beam is higher in the clouds as it goes out away from the radar, due to the curvature of the Earth, it hits the clouds at different heights. In this case you see snow returns at about 8 thousand feet.

Once the column of air is saturated in the vertical you see snow flakes at the ground level. Looking at the LaCrosse radar earlier this morning, it verified snow in the clouds over the Twin Cities, soon to reach the ground.
CE

Posted by Craig | February 26, 2009 10:31 AM

I have always wondered that. Thanks for the explanation.

Posted by Ned | February 26, 2009 11:46 AM

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