Updraft: January 26, 2010 Archive

Blizzard winds reached severe thunderstorm velocity

Posted at 8:26 AM on January 26, 2010 by Paul Huttner

Heavy snow blanketed areas around the Red River Valley Monday. Some of that light fluffy snow is probably sitting in Iowa today.(NWS Grand Forks image)

The ferocity of Monday's blizzard was not lost on anyone who saw the whiteout. I cannot remember the last time I saw that many towns with visibilities below 1/4 mile in the Dakotas, Minnesota and Iowa at one time.

What you might not know is that the wind gusts with Monday's blizzard reached severe thunderstorm strength. Morris clocked wind gusts of 58mph Monday. That's the threshold for NWS issuance of severe thunderstorm warnings.

Several locations recorded wind gusts over 50mph. Here are a few.

Morris: 58 mph
Moorhead: 55 mph
Grand Forks: 52 mph
Fargo & Fergus Falls: 51 mph

Numerous locations also recorded gusts well over 40 mph.

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENTNATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS PM CST MON JAN 25 2010...
PEAK WIND GUSTS FROM MONDAY......ASOS/AWOSSENSORS...

MOORHEAD................55 MPH AT 814 AM
GRAND FORKS.............52 MPH AT 655 AM
FARGO...................51 MPH AT 953 AM
ELBOW LAKE..............51 MPH AT 855 AM
FERGUS FALLS............51 MPH AT 853 AM
DEVILS LAKE.............49 MPH AT 835 AM
GRAND FORKS AIR BASE....49 MPH AT 137 PM
WAHPETON................48 MPH AT 851 AM
CROOKSTON...............48 MPH AT 715 AM
WADENA..................44 MPH AT 357 AM
THIEF RIVER FALLS.......41 MPH AT 835 AM
BAUDETTE................40 MPH AT 509 AM
FOSSTON.................38 MPH AT 214 AM
ROSEAU..................37 MPH AT 935 AM
WARROAD.................37 MPH AT 1214 PM
PARK RAPIDS.............36 MPH AT 233 AM
BEMIDJI.................33 MPH AT 415 AM

These high sustained winds and gusts whipped the dry powdery snow several hundred feet into the air. It's likely that some of the snow crystals that hit the ground in the Red River Valley Monday were sent airborne and came to rest in Iowa last night.

ER visits skyrocket:

One of the often overlooked effects of our recent weather is the layer of ice underneath our fresh snow. I know personally, my feet flew out from under me taking the Weather Lab recycling out to the street last night. It was a good thing I had my hands on the recycle bin. Many Minnesotans were not as fortunate, as victims of falls filled up the ER at Twin Cities' hospitals yesterday.

Be careful walking these days, or choose another option. Saturday's rain is now glare ice underneath snow cover.

Brighter Days:

Our return to sunnier weather this week means you'll really notice the increasing daylight. We're gaining nearly 3 minutes of daylight a day now. Sunrise at 7:38am and sunset of 5:14pm in the Twin Cities this week means it's bright again for many folks during the drive to and from work.

We're at 9 hours and 36 minutes of daylight in the metro this week. That's an increase of nearly an hour since the winter solstice in late December. Even as we slog through "the dog days of winter" It won't be long before that longer daylight and ever higher sun angle starts having a positive effect on our daily high temperatures.

Hang in there!

PH

Sky Show: Mars shines brightly this week

Posted at 4:17 PM on January 26, 2010 by Paul Huttner

A bright Mars and the waxing moon will rise in the east after sunset this week. (Spaceweather.com)

Our clear cold polar air has at least one benefit. Clearing skies will bring a return to sunshine and some good evening sky watching this week.

Mars is as close to Earth as it will be anytime between 2008 and 2102 this week. At a mere 99 million miles, the Red Planet will shine brighter this week than it will in 4 years. The close proximity to the moon should make for a delightful sight if you can brave the cold and icy conditions under foot.

As always the best viewing will be away from city lights. Look in the eastern sky after sunset and Mars will be below the moon.

Steady daytime temperatures:

You may have noticed our temperatures held fairly steady all day in the metro. Usually temperatures would rise and peak around 3pm this time of year. Today, the sun's energy was offset by what we call "cold advection." The incoming cold air was just about in balance with the energy provided by the sun today. That's why temps hovered near 8 degrees most of the day in the metro.

Temperatures will lose ground as the sun sets tonight. Look for a slightly sub-zero morning Tuesday. It begins the trend of a string of sub-zero starts that will last into Saturday morning. Look for slightly moderating temperatures this weekend into the 20s.

PH