All Things Weather

[short ornery norwegian]

in my neck of the woods - Cottonwood County - the NWS is now saying 12-18" possible by Noon Thursday. a heavier band of 20" or more is predicted about 30 or 40 miles north of my location. But the other issue is that the winds could kick up with winds Wednesday gusting up to 40 or 45-mph.

if that happens, every highway in SW MN will be closed Wednesday and possibly Thursday. good thing I only live about 6 blocks from Hy Vee. I can walk there in case of emergency (like running out of snacks.....)

still talking about up to 2 ft of snow in the Twin Cities. could be the biggest snow system since Jan 20-23 of 1982, when roughly 35" of snow fell in a four-day period. (I had to walk to the Chicago-Lake Liquor store for "provisions.")

 

[howeda7]

in my neck of the woods - Cottonwood County - the NWS is now saying 12-18" possible by Noon Thursday. a heavier band of 20" or more is predicted about 30 or 40 miles north of my location. But the other issue is that the winds could kick up with winds Wednesday gusting up to 40 or 45-mph.

if that happens, every highway in SW MN will be closed Wednesday and possibly Thursday. good thing I only live about 6 blocks from Hy Vee. I can walk there in case of emergency (like running out of snacks.....)

still talking about up to 2 ft of snow in the Twin Cities. could be the biggest snow system since Jan 20-23 of 1982, when roughly 35" of snow fell in a four-day period. (I had to walk to the Chicago-Lake Liquor store for "provisions.")

Bold of you to assume HyVee will be open....

 

[short ornery norwegian]

all my years at the local radio station doing weather announcements, I can only think of maybe 1 or 2 times that Hy Vee would close early. they stick it out as long as they can.

when Hy Vee and the Municipal Liquor store announce they're closing, you know it's bad out.

 

[howeda7]

all my years at the local radio station doing weather announcements, I can only think of maybe 1 or 2 times that Hy Vee would close early. they stick it out as long as they can.

when Hy Vee and the Municipal Liquor store announce they're closing, you know it's bad out.

The Northern Waffle House Index....

 

[GophersInIowa]

Sounds like last night's snow ended up lower than expected in the TC. Saw on twitter the ratios weren't as high as models were showing.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

Update - the Windom Municipal Liquor Store is closed today. they hope to open on Thursday. Cottonwood County has pulled its plows off the roads. MN-Dot says travel not advised in SW MN, including I-90 from West of Jackson to South Dakota Border.

Winds really kicking up in last hour. at about 10:30am, talked to a semi-driver who was making a milk delivery to the Elementary school that is across the street from my house. said he came over from Sioux Falls and roads over there were pretty dicey at about 5:00am, but he got to Windom OK.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

I-90 is closed from Worthington West to the South Dakota border. State Highways closed in Rock and Nobles Counties. other highways in SW MN now listed as "completely covered" with visibility of 1/10th of a mile or less.

Toro plant in Windom called off all shifts today. area Churches have cancelled Ash Wednesday services.

getting nasty out. I shoveled my sidewalk at 10:30 this morning - and now it's completely drifted over again.

 

[Ogee Ogilthorpe]

Just don't get how you could consciously make the decision to live there 12 months out of the year... WTF!?!?!?

 

[Gophers1992]

Just don't get how you could consciously make the decision to live there 12 months out of the year... WTF!?!?!?

Cold and snow suck for sure, but we don't get hurricanes, wildfires, mudslides, we don't have a water shortage, etc. Our weather issues are mild compared to the damage those cause.

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

Just don't get how you could consciously make the decision to live there 12 months out of the year... WTF!?!?!?

I'll hopefully move south eventually, but despite the desert being beautiful this time of the year, I could never live there.

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

GWG,

I notice that the people at Bam Weather seem to be saying that it looks like the La Nina is ending. How will that affect our weather patterns. Aren't we typically warmer during El Nino years?

El Nino years are typically warmer and stormier. Trough in the west, ridge in the east, and that has pretty much been our winter so far. It's like we already transitioned to an El Nino.

It is very similar to the last time we had a triple dip La Nina.

 

[Ogee Ogilthorpe]

I'll hopefully move south eventually, but despite the desert being beautiful this time of the year, I could never live there.

I was joking a little bit, to be sure.

I've lived in a handful of different areas and there's two unequivocal indisputable truths that I have come to realize;

- No place is perfect

- Almost everywhere is livable if you have the means and opportunity to get away with even just a little regularity

Yes, it can be hot in the desert for 2-3 months, but I bug out a few times and all of the sudden it's fall.

 

[GophersInIowa]

Yes, this is the most consistent I think I've ever seen the models be for days.

I think I'm also with you on the moving thing.

Unfortunately for snow lovers it looks like they over did the totals by a lot. Is the TC going to even hit a foot? Still a big storm but nothing close to what was expected.

 

[Bfan]

It's not even snowing where I live in the SW suburbs. Cars are driving down the road without much trouble. It had sounded like continuous snow, with difficult driving, through the night and then snowed-in by morning. Right now there isn't even a storm.

The latest does suggest an increase in activity late tonight and in the morning:

 

[Nax5]

Unfortunately for snow lovers it looks like they over did the totals by a lot. Is the TC going to even hit a foot? Still a big storm but nothing close to what was expected.

I can't remember a time where any snowstorm lived up to the hype.

 

[GophersInIowa]

 

[gopher7]

The issue with the storm from the beginning has been the lack of oomph in the precip. There are certainly some strong dynamics seeing how windy it's been, the storm itself is expansive, it is really long duration, and the snow coverage has at times stretched for hundreds of miles. All of this looks good.

But even right now you have a big area of precip developing that looks like it should be blowing up, and it's just not. It's been like this from the beginning. Typically in a major storm like this these dark greens would have yellows, and everything else will be filled in with moderate snow. Instead you get this little shot of 1"/hr snow, and once that passes it tapers off to next to nothing. I don't recall ever seeing a storm quite like this.

I'll be curious to hear an explanation of what is missing that they expected.

 

[From the Parkinglot]

May I ask what was to make this storm historic? I am very happy to not have nearly the snow they called for but for the better part of a week it was supposed to be a historic storm. It wound up being just another snow storm with between 6-12 inches of snow and some winds after that.

 

[Ope3]

May I ask what was to make this storm historic? I am very happy to not have nearly the snow they called for but for the better part of a week it was supposed to be a historic storm. It wound up being just another snow storm with between 6-12 inches of snow and some winds after that.

Just a guess, but if it had been a few degrees warmer the snow total would have ramped up significantly.

Not a "historic" total but still a huge mess with travel being ill advised for what's going to be 48 hours.

 

[Gophers_4life]

Well, seems like a dud.

MSP saying 7" overnight?

Although, and this may just be an gut feeling that is off, but why does it feel like MSP always measures less snow than everywhere else??

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

May I ask what was to make this storm historic? I am very happy to not have nearly the snow they called for but for the better part of a week it was supposed to be a historic storm. It wound up being just another snow storm with between 6-12 inches of snow and some winds after that.

The original forecasted storm totals of 18-24" would have put this storm in the top 4 of all time, beating the 17.1" that took down the metrodome roof in 2010. Even over 15" would have put it in the top 15, giving MSP two storms in the top 15 in the first two months of 2023.

The most snow in any February storm was 13.8", so that seemed attainable as well. But as of 6am this morning MSP was at 10.1" and Chanhassen at 12.5". Another inch or 2 may be added to that through noon, but otherwise totals will fall short of any of those historic storms.

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

Just a guess, but if it had been a few degrees warmer the snow total would have ramped up significantly.

Not a "historic" total but still a huge mess with travel being ill advised for what's going to be 48 hours.

There was actually too much warmer and drier air aloft, and there was reports of sleet and freezing drizzle mixing in at times last night. Snow growth was limited keeping snow ratio's well under what was expected a few days ago.

 

[From the Parkinglot]

Just a guess, but if it had been a few degrees warmer the snow total would have ramped up significantly.

Not a "historic" total but still a huge mess with travel being ill advised for what's going to be 48 hours.

That’s winter in the Midwest. It snows and travel is difficult in the snow. Tavel can be impossible in the hinterlands and the Dakota’s on a bright sunny day if the wind blows.

I’ll give you 18 hours of no travel, but there is no reason you can’t drive places today.

 

[Ope3]

There was actually too much warmer and drier air aloft, and there was reports of sleet and freezing drizzle mixing in at times last night. Snow growth was limited keeping snow ratio's well under what was expected a few days ago.

The colder temps, I thought might have kept the first wave down. After that initial blast not being a much as predicted, the potential for 2 ft was substantially diminished.

Your info about the moisture last night makes sense.

As of this very moment out my window (Dakota Cty) it's snowing as much as I have seen this week, so not over yet. Footprints I made an hour ago are completely covered.

13.8 at MSP appears to still be within reach.

 

[Ope3]

That’s winter in the Midwest. It snows and travel is difficult in the snow. Tavel can be impossible in the hinterlands and the Dakota’s on a bright sunny day if the wind blows.

I’ll give you 18 hours of no travel, but there is no reason you can’t drive places today.

Later today sure, but right now coming down wicked here in the South Metro.

 

[Ope3]

That’s winter in the Midwest. It snows and travel is difficult in the snow. Tavel can be impossible in the hinterlands and the Dakota’s on a bright sunny day if the wind blows.

I’ll give you 18 hours of no travel, but there is no reason you can’t drive places today.

Ch 9 just had video of more than 6 crashes scattered around the metro (Hwys 52, 169, 694, 494, 77, 35W & 35E) and advised to not travel currently unless absolutely necessary.

In my area it has tapered off quite a bit. Hopefully that's a wrap and my neighborhood can get dug out (for the 3rd time) by early evening.

 

[JayBobDobbins]

NW burbs seem to have gotten substantially less than what was predicted, which I'm A-ok with. Hard to tell with wind/drifts, but I wouldn't be surprised if we got about 12". Seems the south metro got hit worse.

Saw this on twitter, thought it was funny and completely true for my 13 year old over the past two days and tonight:

 

[mplarson7]

Don't have an official measurement, but I got somewhere in the 18" range in the Minnesota River valley.

 

[JimmyJamesMD]

In Mendota Heights, hasnt stopped yet.

Has it stopped on the north side of town?

 

[GophersInIowa]

Reports of around 20 inches in Apple Valley so still some really high amounts but not as widespread as thought.