Updraft: December 3, 2011 Archive

Snow southeast Minnesota, mainly mid afternoon and tonight

Posted at 6:31 AM on December 3, 2011 by Craig Edwards

Moisture continues to push north through Iowa toward MInnesota this morning. Temperatures are borderline for freezing rain/sleet and snow from Rochester to Preston when the precipitation begins to reach the ground around mid morning.

Here is a look at the Advisories posted by the National Weather Service Offices at Chanhassen and La Crosse, Wisconsin. The blue shaded area is for snow accumulations from 2 to 6 inches. The pink shaded area is for freezing rain changing to snow later today.

Follow the storm details from the Chanhassen NWS Office here.

Track the reports out of far southeast Minnesota and southwest Wisconsin here from the La Crosse NWS Office.

The Twin Cities remain on the northern fringe of the snow band. The greatest accumulation during the next 18 hours will be closer to Farmington. Snow may accumulate about an inch in Blaine.

NOAA's Environmental Prediction Center suggests that there is a small probability of snowfall approaching eight inches in parts of southeast Minnesota. Here's their latest thinking.

Based on an integration of the model data, it looks like the heaviest snow is likely to fall from mid afternoon through about 10PM. Radar imagery can be monitor by clicking on the image to the right of the blog.

This infrared satellite photo from around 6AM depicts the coldest cloud tops in the blue color. So far a clear signal of the snow pattern has yet to present itself.

While snow is likely to accumulate several inches, strong winds are not expected.
CE

Snow ending from west to east overnight

Posted at 9:17 PM on December 3, 2011 by Craig Edwards (1 Comments)

Here is a snap shot of the regional radar shortly after 9pm. The brighter band of precipitation from about New Richmond, Wisconsin through the Twin Cities to New Ulm depicted the heavier snowfall.

Before shoveling the driveway, I measured 2.5 inches outside the Eden Prairie weather lab at 9pm. Light snow was still falling

The area of snow is expected to continue slowly tracking east overnight. But an additional two inches could fall from just east of the Twin Cities down to Owatonna before 1am.

Cold temperatures will follow in the wake of the snow. It really is quite lovely outdoors this evening, if you don't have to travel. Get out and enjoy the fresh, high quality snow on Sunday.

Snowfall totals in southeast Minnesota from Anoka to Preston will likely range from two to six inches by 1AM.
CE

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