Jan 18th-20th Potential Winter Storm. Can this be The One??

[CodyWX]

Welcome everyone, back after a 10 year hiatus lol. Use to browse CentralWX and the Omaha forums like over a decade ago. Ended up with freezing drizzle and a dusting of snow here in east central Nebraska. Storm just couldn't quite get going in time.

[OKwx2k4]

Disappointing storm for me. Got plenty of rain but going to get left out again.

 

Congrats to my Northern friends! Looking like a great storm for a few of you.

[Tom]

Just woke up to see how it looks outside and it looks like a snow globe!  Winds are roaring, defo band is pivoting just perfectly for Chicago right now and the rates have picked up quite a bit.  Flake size is getting better as well.  I took several measurements and averaged out at 5.5" of very powdery snow.  This is great and with the back edge of the heavier snows in W IL, it looks like we still have another few hours left to go of the synoptic snows.  

 

Edit: I just took some measurements out in front on my driveway where there is no drifting and I averaged 4.8".

[Grizzcoat]

Disappointing storm for me. Got plenty of rain but going to get left out again.

 

Congrats to my Northern friends! Looking like a great storm for a few of you.

I commend you on congrating "honestly" others that get snow. You deserve some double snow. Class act in OK. Some people on here are so jealous over nothing any human can control (other than location) -- hats off to you OKwx2k4- you will get rewarded. And if not- it's just the weather. 

[Tom]

Disappointing storm for me. Got plenty of rain but going to get left out again.

 

Congrats to my Northern friends! Looking like a great storm for a few of you.

Thanks OKWx!  It's been snowing non stop over here since about 7 or 8 pm with varying intensities.  Wish you could join us up here in the fun buddy.  You'll get your chance soon enough.

[Tom]

A few locations just NW of Sioux Falls scored 14" of snow while a striped of 6-12" across S MN is being reported from that stout F-gen band yesterday.  Impressive totals stretched across the MW region and into the GL's.  Last night, SE WI had some great banding set up which dumped 6-8" near the Kenosha/Lake Geneva area.

 

Meantime, if you were are to believe the 06z NAM 3km, pure LES develops just after Noon today and lasts through Noon on Monday.  I have never seen such a long duration LES event on this side of the lake being advertised on the models, let alone in real life.  I hope it happens.

[VMB443]

Waking up to a classic winter storm - significant drifting and temps falling. Hoping for a little bit more this morning and then will be interested to see if we can pad our total with some lake effect later on. My unscientific guess is we have about 5 inches - too lazy to go out in the cold so early and actually measure!

[Tom]

NE IL socked in the "heart" of the snowstorm....the city of Chicago is getting pounded right now...

[Tom]

Our classic mid-winter storm is turning out to be an enjoyable one after a couple days of dwindling runs, in the end, the system strengthened and phased just in time to produce a healthy swath of snow around the area.  This system reminds me of the powdery snows we saw back in seasons of 13'/'14 and '14/'15.  It looks beautiful and feels amazing out there as the winds are blowing and drifting snow off the roofs.  I can't wait to see daylight emerge as the landscape is covered with a thick snow pack.

 

Just took a quick measurement and I'm closing in on 6" (5.8")....

[Tom]

The development of the lake plume is already taking shape up near Sheboygan, WI....that thing looks pretty....

 

 

[brianc400]

I'm only eyeballing but I'd guesstimate 4" here. The heavier bands last evening were above the IL/WI border, and overnight Chicago looked much better on radar.

 

Hoping for some decent LES today and tonight before those bands start hugging the lake. I'm generally too far west in the county to catch long LES events.

[Madtown]

that lake plume is growing quickly! Enjoy it over there!

[Tom]

that lake plume is growing quickly! Enjoy it over there!

How much did you end up with?

[Clinton]

Good morning everyone, I missed cashing in on this one by about 40 miles.  The rain melted off my existing snow pack but I did get a nice dusting of new snow before it ended.  I am very happy so many got a good snow out of this and the last 7 days have been amazing for almost all of us.  Like Tom pointed out the pattern looks great ahead.

[Tom]

As daylight emerges, it's a Winter Wonderland out there with a gorgeous blanket of snow from Mother Nature.  It's getting pretty difficult to measure as the winds have been howling and strengthening.  Visibilities have generally been holding under 1 mile with bursts of mod to occasionally heavy snow.  I'd say I'm closing in on close to 7" right now.

[Tom]

06z RGEM is showing quite the qpf from LES in NE IL...take the HR60 map and deduct it from the Hr12 map....the signal is there for a lot of LES out of this set up.

 

 

 

 

 

[Jaycee]

Im eyeballing as well, thinking 4” here too? Can’t really tell tbh but it is still snowing. I’ll have to go look, I think Tom is in the best area being even further on the north side of town who didn’t get the temporary dry slot that moved in early this morning!

[Sciascia]

As of 6am, ORD with a measurement of 3.9 inches.

[brianc400]

Now that I had a chance to measure, I have 5.5 so far. Not bad! The wind is only just starting to kick up so I could get good measurements. There was very little drifting overnight.

[westMJim]

Good morning. Took some snow fall measurements and here at my house NW of Grand Rapids I have ....drum roll please 2.5" of new snow fall. This is the most snow fall here since November 26th when just over 4.2" fell and the 2.5" on the ground is the most since November 26th when there was 3" on the ground. The current temperature here at my house is 15.8 with light snow falling.

[Tom]

@ IllinoisWx and the rest of the city boys, how's the scene out there???  Radar is showing you guys have been underneath a heavy band of snow for a couple hours already.

[Tom]

As of 6am, ORD with a measurement of 3.9 inches.

If you look at the radar loop from last night, that prob make sense bc ORD was right where the cut-off was around midnight through 2:00am or so.  I just shoveled the driveway where there is a flatter and calmer place to measure and a solid 7" is OTG.

[Tom]

Im eyeballing as well, thinking 4” here too? Can’t really tell tbh but it is still snowing. I’ll have to go look, I think Tom is in the best area being even further on the north side of town who didn’t get the temporary dry slot that moved in early this morning!

It must be ripping at your place right now....

[Sciascia]

If you look at the radar loop from last night, that prob make sense bc ORD was right where the cut-off was around midnight through 2:00am or so. I just shoveled the driveway where there is a flatter and calmer place to measure and a solid 7" is OTG.

Actually, a LOT met responded to my post about the measurement and says it’s almost certainly too low. Says that the observer working today is the same one that had that terrible measurement at ORD back on 1/1/14.

[Tom]

Actually, a LOT met responded to my post about the measurement and says it’s almost certainly too low. Says that the observer working today is the same one that had that terrible measurement from the 1/1/14 snow.

I've seen several low measurements in years past from ORD.  Not surprised to see them screw up again.  Just to the west of ORD in Downers Grove they have a report of 5" at 8:00am.  N Cook has done fairly well thus far with several 6.0 -7.5" reports while Lake county has done better in the 6.0-8.5" range.

[Tom]

Fat flakes starting to fly as Lehs churns up while this last wave of synoptic snows push through...

 

 

[Jaycee]

@ IllinoisWx and the rest of the city boys, how's the scene out there??? Radar is showing you guys have been underneath a heavy band of snow for a couple hours already.

 

It’s been ripping good! Visibility was only around 1/4 mile for the past hour. Need to go measure and see where we’re at!

[Madtown]

How much did you end up with?

Solid 6 maybe 7 blowing around good right now.

[Tony]

Not sure what we have here in NW Dupage but a nice winter day shaping up. LES up next

[St Paul Storm]

Congrats Tom! Keep some of that snow around for a bit buddy. I’ll be in town later next. Congrats to all the others as well that got a good hit.

 

Finished with a whopping 0.2” here.

[Tom]

Congrats Tom! Keep some of that snow around for a bit buddy. I’ll be in town later next. Congrats to all the others as well that got a good hit.

 

Finished with a whopping 0.2” here.

Thanks my man!  Stay warm up there and I pray that you can lay down some snow before the "Nanook from the North" pays a visit later next week.

[East Dubzz]

Seems like Dubuque is reporting 4” last I saw, at least), but I just measured and we ended with exactly 5” over in East Dubuque!

[indianajohn]

How does the les setup for us Nwi?

[Tom]

How does the les setup for us Nwi?

Looks prime on Sunday/Sun pm for your area...this plume is going to rock!

[East Dubzz]

Considering I only had a bit over 2 a 9:45pm and the rates have likely been no better than 0.5"/hr, I probably only have 3.5". Given the radar, we only have an hour of decent snow remaining. This is looking like a pretty big disappointment. Either the qpf or the ratios crapped out on us. I had planned to go out and measure again, but I really don't feel like it anymore. I think I'll just hit the sack and measure the lousy few inches in the morning.

 

Seriously, it's f'n amazing how difficult it is to get heavy rates around here. In all but the biggest storms, 0.5"/hr is about the best we can do.

I wonder if the wind was impacting snowflakes size too much or something.

[Madtown]

10+ inches of snow in that lake band in manitowoc county wi

[Money]

Ended up between 3 and 4 here

[FV-Mike]

Classic midwest storm. I have 5.2 down and blowing pretty good. Saw 6.2 report in Elgin and 7.5 in Palatine so not sure what ORD is doing. 

[Madtown]

latest report of 12 and still rippin

[dubuque473]

Seems like Dubuque is reporting 4” last I saw, at least), but I just measured and we ended with exactly 5” over in East Dubuque!

Just got done with the snowblower. I was going to say 4.5” at my place. It wasn’t wet obviously but it was not as light and fluffy as I was anticipating. Glad to get some snow, hopefully we get lucky with another inch today DVN says someone could get.