Tag Archives: Snow

Winter Storm Cara poised to impact Thanksgiving travel

A powerful winter storm is disrupting Thanksgiving travel plans across the United States, bringing ice, snow and rain to those in its path.

Winter Storm Cara pummeled the Pacific Northwest with more than a foot of snow and knocked out power to thousands of people on Tuesday, and the storm appears to be only getting started.

The National Weather Service has issued numerous weather advisories and warnings across the country, ranging from hard freeze and winter storm warnings in Oregon to winter weather and flood watches in Oklahoma. Parts of Wyoming are under a blizzard warning on Wednesday.

There are more concerns of snow, black ice, fog and flooding as the storm continues to move east, according to forecasts from The Weather Channel and AccuWeather.

Those are expected to cause travel delays at airports and on highways from the Rocky Mountains to the Great Lakes into Friday, meteorologist Dave Bowers told accuweather.com.

The latest Weather Channel forecasts call for Cara to dump a foot and a half of snow in parts of the country through Sunday, though most areas are projected to receive less than five inches.

AccuWeather meteorologists also warn of the potential impact of other forms of precipitation.

While they don’t expect freezing rain will be a major issue for most of the country, there is the chance for enough accumulation to bring down power lines and trees in the Great Plains.

They also noted that some areas could experience flash flooding as rain is expected to fall across the Great Plains on Thursday and Friday. The storm is expected to continue east Saturday.

The Weather Channel also warned of the potential for flooding and flash flooding throughout the weekend, as conditions are ripe for torrential rainfall in the south central United States.

The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that parts of Washington had already been without power for nearly a week after a deadly windstorm knocked out the electrical grid in Spokane. Cara’s winds then knocked out power to more than 40,000 Washington residents, KIRO reported.

Record snows and storms to affect holiday travels

The first snowfall brought amounts amounts of snow ranging from a few inches to 20 inches from South Dakota through Michigan over the weekend as temperatures plunged southward.

Chicago recorded its second-heaviest snowfall during a single storm in November  causing hundreds of flights to be cancelled and others to be delayed.

According to the National Weather Service, Saturday’s snowfall of 11.2 inches recorded Friday and Saturday was beat only by a snowstorm ending on November 26 in 1895 that saw 12 inches of snow.

For Thanksgiving, a storm system will have a mix of soaking rain, snow, cold winds and possible ice on the central part of the United States.

According to Accuweather, the Thanksgiving Day storm will center itself between warmer air in the Eastern U.S. and brisk cold air in the west as it plunges southward.  Rain and snow with a potential for a narrow zone of ice threatens the central states.

Heavy rain across Oklahoma, Eastern Kansas and Western Missouri lie within this storm zone.  Freezing rain and sleet could develop from portions of southeastern Nebraska to southwestern Kansas and southeastern Colorado on Thanksgiving Day.

Stay tuned to weather reports as you make your plans for the Thanksgiving week and check with your airline for any delays.

Big November Storm Brings Tornadoes and Snow to the Central United States

A second powerful storm system in a week is causing weather havoc, bringing blizzard conditions to Colorado and the potential for strong storms and tornadoes as the system charges east.  Currently there are severe storm and tornado watches for Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and Louisiana.  

This afternoon and evening we expect a line of storms to intensify with a threat of damaging wind gusts and a few embedded tornadoes. There could also be supercells ahead of the line that may also acquire rotation and spawn tornadoes as the day continues. For this reason, severe weather expert Dr. Greg Forbes of The Weather Channel has raised the TOR:CON to 5 for Tuesday afternoon and evening in portions of northeast Louisiana, southeast Arkansas and western Mississippi. This means there is a 50 percent chance of a tornado within 50 miles of any location in that area.

The system was expected to track east through Tuesday and Wednesday, with rain, damaging winds and possible tornadoes from Texas to Mississippi on Tuesday, and a possible lingering severe threat as far east as Florida on Wednesday, according to The Weather Channel.

These thunderstorms will produce torrential rainfall which will raise the risk of flash flooding from the southern Plains to the Mississippi Valley

Wind, Snow and Possible Tornadoes in the Midwest Wednesday

A winter storm warning or blizzard warning was in effect for parts of Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas through Wednesday afternoon and evening in some places. Tornadoes and high winds could rake parts of the Midwest on Wednesday afternoon as well. Sustained winds of 30 to 40 mph were expected, with gust up to 55 or even 60 mph.

The National Weather Service issued tornado watches for most of the day in parts of Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and Iowa.

Wet, heavy snow fell in Nevada on Tuesday morning, closing schools in Reno and knocking out power to thousands before moving eastward. Northeastern Colorado and western Kansas and Nebraska expected 6 inches of snow and wind gusts up to 60 mph overnight — a combination that can cause white-out conditions.

“November has a history of producing some significant weather events. We will have to keep an eye on things,” said Greg Carbin, warning coordination meteorologist at the Storm Prediction Center.

The Storm Prediction Center cautioned 54 million people to be alert for severe weather.

Monday Storm Brings Rain, Snow, Mudslides, and Flash Flooding to California

California and other parts of the western United States – including Sierra, Nevada – saw the first winter-like storm of the season on Monday. the storm brought heavy rain and snow and even caused a 20 car pile up due to gusts of wind bringing up dust. Five people were minorly injured.

San Francisco saw an inch of rain and other Bay Area cities had an inch or more of rain thanks to the cold front from the Pacific Northwest. Traffic accidents and power outages were widespread across the region according to ABC News. Mudslides also blocked roads close to Livermore.

Mountain areas around Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada border reported a foot of snow. The Sierra Nevada mountain range had storm warnings for heavy snow from Kings Canyon to Yosemite that were in effect until late night hours. Areas above 9,000 feet saw 5 inches of snow by early evening, and snow levels were expected to fall to 5,000 feet.

Yolo, Lake, and Colusa counties were issued flash flood warnings according to the weather service.

The snow in Sierra could help with the drought that has hit California. California counts on snowpack to feed reservoirs. The storm also hit areas that were burned by wildfires earlier this year.

Sierra Nevada Snowpack Lowest in 500 Years

The snowpack in the Sierra Nevada mountains has reached its lowest level in 500 years.

A new study from the University of Arizona examined tree ring data from 1405-2005 and snowpack measures since the 1930s.  The results showed what the research team called “unprecedented” loss.

“Our study really points to the extreme character of the 2014-15 winter,” Valerie Trouet, an associate professor of dendrochronology at the UA Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, said in a press release. “… We should be prepared for this type of snow drought to occur much more frequently because of rising temperatures.”

Trouet added that 2015 was a record year because of the double blow from the extreme drought and record heat.

“What happened in 2015 is that very low precipitation co-occurred with record high temperatures. And that’s what made this snowpack low so extremely low,” Trouet said.  “We didn’t expect it to be this bad.”

The snowpack is vital for water supplies throughout California.  The California Water Project’s information officer told National Geographic they can only provide 20 percent of the water requested by customers.

There also appears to be no relief on the horizon.  Climatologists say that 2015 could be the hottest on record and that 2016 will be even warmer.

Boston To Be Hit With Fourth Major Snowstorm In Weeks

The city of Boston is preparing to be hit again with a massive winter storm after having over 70 inches of snow in the last few weeks.

The latest storm will strike this weekend with up to 15 inches of fresh snow.  The storm could also bring 60 mile per hour wins and coastal flooding with waves of 20 feet or higher.

The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard watch for the Massachusetts coast through Sunday night.  A winter storm watch has also been put in place for non-coastal areas.  Those non-coastal areas could see a foot of snow.

The temperatures are also causing problems with average highs around 15 degrees and wind chills as low as -22 in some areas.  Officials say that if the storm brings power outages, elderly folks and shut-ins could face problems with freezing in their homes.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said the city’s public transit system, already under heavy criticism for poor performance during the previous storms, would be shut down over the weekend during the new storm.

At least 170 pieces of snow removal equipment from other states has come to the Boston area to assist government workers.

Storms Threaten Christmas Travel

A series of storms across the nation are threatening to make Christmas travel a mess.  Thunderstorms across the south, rain in in the east and snowstorms around the Great Lakes could bring serious flight delays and dangerous road conditions.

Up to three inches of snow is predicted for the areas around Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway International airports.  Delays and cancellations at two of the nation’s biggest Midwest airports would have repercussions throughout the country.

“I’d be nervous about the possibility of not being able to get out,” Chicago area meteorologist Charles Mott told the Associated Press. “I would definitely make plans about possibly staying put or doing something else.”

Over 4.2 million travelers are expected to go through the Chicago airports during the Christmas season.

Storms across the Rockies caused blowing snow that blocked major highways and even Hawaii is feeling the winter punch as a blizzard warning was issued for the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island.  While snow is common, a blizzard is considered unusual by meteorologists.

Strong Storm Slams California

A massive storm rolled into northern California on Thursday, knocking out power, flooding highways and toppling trees.

Strong winds contributed to the death of a 40-year-old homeless man who had been sleeping on a trail when a tree fell on him.  An elementary school student survived in what local officials called a miracle after an 80-foot tree fell on him.  He is listed in good condition at a hospital.

“It’s a big storm, as we expected, and it’s headed south with very powerful winds and heavy rainfall,” National Weather Service meteorologist Will Pi told Fox News.

Parts of Southern California that are prone to mudslides have been evacuating ahead of the storm.  At least one apartment complex was entirely evacuated because of previous slides in the area.  Lumberjacks in the San Bernardino National Forest were putting concrete weights on lumber stacks to keep them from collapsing from the high winds.

Many stores have been blocking their doors with sandbags in anticipation of flooding.

California officials are concerned about the San Bernardino Mountains because of the wildfires in the last few years that has devastated the vegetation and made the land primed for major mudslides.

The storm is also expected to dump feet of snow in the mountains and ski resort operators say they expect to have over three feet of new snow by the weekend.

Utah Surprised with Summer Snow

Summer is just around the corner for the United States, but winter hasn’t given up yet.

Residents of Alta, Utah were surprised with nine inches of snow on Tuesday. More snow is expected in parts of the Northern Rockies until Thursday morning. Meteorologists report winds will gust up to 30 miles per hour and visibility will be less than half a mile during the worst parts of the storm.

“Seeing this in June is crazy,” Utah resident, Jan Frazier said. “I’ve never seen it. You wouldn’t expect thunderclouds like this turning into snow in June, you know?”

State officials hope the weather is a brief anomaly. Local meteorologists predict the temperatures will increase to the lower 90’s by Saturday.