December 28th/29th Potential Plains/Great Lakes Cutter

[OmahaSnowFan]

I was up in Yankton SD over the weekend and sadly the storm underperformed there. Total snowfall was only 3" when it looked like 6-10" was a pretty reasonable expectation based on the last minute model trends and forecasts.

Down in Omaha I ended up with 2.42" of rain at my weather station and maybe an inch of snow tops.

[Niko]

New Headline just popped in from NOAA:

DAY ONE...This Afternoon and TonightA Lakeshore Flood Warnings remains in effect this evening for StClair County. Refer to the latest Lakeshore Hazard Message for moreinformation.Light snow is expected to overspread the region late tonight as anupper level disturbance moves into the Great Lakes. Accumulations ofaround an inch will be possible by daybreak, especially north of theI-94 corridor..DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through SundayLight snow will continue into Tuesday morning with up to anotherinch of snow possible in some locations. Lake effect snow showerswill then dot the area during the afternoon and bring additionallocalized accumulations.

[CentralNebWeather]

Snow totals so far from this storm.

 

Capture1.PNG

Talked to a friend of ours that came back from Eastern Nebraska to Central Nebraska. They said it’s like a different world from brown grass to a glacier. This map shows it well. Thanks for sharing.

[jaster220]

Brrrr!  Had a to walk a few blocks into the wind downtown Marshall a bit ago. That WC of 20F was quite the shock from the calm and balmy 54F seen here at 11 pm last night. Like someone flipped a switch. Watching radar, it looks like my 1st frozen precip may be knocking on the door. Hoping it's the delivery guy with my first gift pkg of white gold.    

[james1976]

Eyeballing a half inch here. Roads are pretty rough with the wind.

[jaster220]

I see Heavy Snow in the text for GR proper..

 

DISCUSSION...(This evening through next Monday)

Issued at 330 PM EST Mon Dec 30 2019

-- Snow ramps up significantly after dark this evening

The upper trough and associated shortwave seen in the water vapor
imagery to our west this afternoon will rotate through the area
tonight. The moisture and lift associated with this upper trough
should light up a marginally unstable lake boundary layer. The
upper trough has synoptic scale snow associated with it over
Wisconsin. Visibility due to the falling snow is below 1 mile at
many sites. This synoptic snow will combine with lake enhancement
to really increase the snow and snow rates after 7pm. Between 7pm
and 11pm the snow should increase in all areas.

[jaster220]

On the board with my first coating 0.1" deck is white and town is looking more wintry. Roads mainly just wet so far. Between the snow and wind, it certainly looks and feels like #realwinter

[Niko]

Radar is filling in. Snow knocking on my doorstep.

[Clinton]

Radar is filling in. Snow knocking on my doorstep.

Awesome enjoy it my man!

[Niko]

Awesome enjoy it my man!

Thank you Sir!

 

Hopefully January provides the real juicy stuff!

[St Paul Storm]

Approaching 5” and still snowing. Some heavier bands moving in from the northeast to close this out. Temp 26F.

[St Paul Storm]

Big Orange is ready to roll but I’ve decided it’s pointless to snowblow tonight. Gonna have to wake up the neighbors early tomorrow instead unfortunately.

[jaster220]

^ a take me back photo! 

[Beltrami Island]

Just got home from Christmas travels a day late thanks to this storm. I'd say about 12" of fresh snow in my driveway. Driving home I think most of north central MN got the same. Certainly feel fortunate to have winter. I was near Chicago the days after Christmas. It felt like a July morning on the 26th

[St Paul Storm]

Just got home from Christmas travels a day late thanks to this storm. I'd say about 12" of fresh snow in my driveway. Driving home I think most of north central MN got the same. Certainly feel fortunate to have winter. I was near Chicago the days after Christmas. It felt like a July morning on the 26th

Nice! Congrats on the snow. That’s one heck of a drive to Chicago and back. You take 94 to 53 up to Duluth on the way home or do you drive through the Cities and then head north? Without any interstates up that way I bet the backroads can be an adventure in the snow.

[gabel23]

Talked to a friend of ours that came back from Eastern Nebraska to Central Nebraska. They said it’s like a different world from brown grass to a glacier. This map shows it well. Thanks for sharing.

Literally a difference of 40 miles from glacier to nothing. You guys cashed in really well; crazy seeing those pics coming out from places that seen 10+. 

[Hawkeye]

The expected area of snow has expanded over northeast Iowa.  Cedar Rapids won't get much, but Dubuque should whiten up.

[Beltrami Island]

Nice! Congrats on the snow. That’s one heck of a drive to Chicago and back. You take 94 to 53 up to Duluth on the way home or do you drive through the Cities and then head north? Without any interstates up that way I bet the backroads can be an adventure in the snow.

Here is the entire crazy christmas adventure if you want to know.

My wife and I with our 3yr old and 1 month old and dog drove to St cloud, stayed 2 nights, then drove to the east suburbs of twin cities for two nights. Then drive to Chicago nw suburb for 3 nights. Then back to St. Cloud for two nights (an extra night thanks to this storm) then back home today.

The worst road today was actually US highway 10, split 4 Lane highway. Multiple vehicles in the ditch.

[jaster220]

Obviously, this was always more a Tuesday event here vs today, but those heavier returns now just a county west will struggle to get to mby just 1/2 county east thanks to the relentless SSW circulation. Normally, a SLP due north should be bringing west flow, but this weird set-up with the pair of ULL's caused that trailing trough and it's keeping the flow from going more westerly. Hopefully, when the winds finally shift tomorrow this doesn't just hustle off to Quebec like a scared rabbit. Good test for the SR models that want to keep the LES going into Tues night around here. 

 

Is nice to see a 36 hr island of legit winter amidst the sea of spring we've had lately 

 

[jaster220]

Here is the entire crazy christmas adventure if you want to know.

My wife and I with our 3yr old and 1 month old and dog drove to St cloud, stayed 2 nights, then drove to the east suburbs of twin cities for two nights. Then drive to Chicago nw suburb for 3 nights. Then back to St. Cloud for two nights (an extra night thanks to this storm) then back home today.

The worst road today was actually US highway 10, split 4 Lane highway. Multiple vehicles in the ditch.

 

I remember the days of doing holiday travel to both fam's when the ex and I lived in NMI. What you (thankfully) didn't include in your adventure was a complete engine failure on Christmas Eve night. Happened to us in '92. NO cell phones, no businesses open in the nearby village and it was bitter cold. Thankfully, there was a Catholic church in that tiny berg opening for midnight mass and somebody phoned the police. Got a lift (dogs and all) in the State Trooper's vehicle to a (closed) motel in the next larger town about 30 miles away where they made room for us in the inn at 2 am. True story.

[Niko]

Still looks good for couple of inches of snow here IMBY. The brunt of the snow will be in the morning.

[jaster220]

Pretty powerful wind gusts just rumbled my place here..howling thru the trees. Not constant, but once in a while it gets going good. 

[jaster220]

Still looks good for couple of inches of snow here IMBY. The brunt of the snow will be in the morning.

 

Latest amts expected map from afternoon shift:

 

[Money]

Def overachiever here

[Niko]

About to get moderate snow now. Radar detected just to my west.

[Niko]

Latest amts expected map from afternoon shift:

 

20191229-31 NWS-WMI Snowstorm Amts-Expected.png

Nice!

 

I can see this overachieving easily in many spots. Radar looks very impressive. Just 1 county to ur west its really coming down.

[Money]

We have at least 5 here

[bud2380]

We have at least 5 here

Where are you located?

[snowstorm83]

Literally a difference of 40 miles from glacier to nothing. You guys cashed in really well; crazy seeing those pics coming out from places that seen 10+. 

 

This thing just cut so far west. Even the snow king Norfolk only got an inch. 

[Tom]

I spent nearly all day yesterday helping my brother and his family move into their new house (3,500sq ft) in Volo, IL unloading 2 large U-haul trucks.  The day was very breezy and got noticeably colder as the day/night progressed.  I gotta tell ya, it was one of the more difficult moves I've done!  The light snow began falling right around sunset and continued into the night making it for a picturesque time to see it finally snow here again.  Only about a coating came down before I left home.  I ate a late dinner and passed out before 9:00pm!  Woke up this morning to a wonderful gift from nature...it's snowing!  Finally, I can say it looks like winter around here with snow blowing off the roofs and whipping around in the wind.  I can only imagine what it looks like up north where you guys cashed in on those heavier amounts.

[Tom]

Very impressive totals coming out of the Dakotas with many spots surpassing 2 feet in SD and widespread 12-18" across the Upper MW.  What a beast of a storm.  As was mentioned, the cut-off in NE is nasty.  I feel for ya guys out in NE who missed out.  It's never fun to be missed by such a powerful storm.  As sad at it sounds, but I'm glad that I got to experience something out of this storm even though my snow total is a whopping 1.5" (hard to tell from the wind).

 

On a side note, I saw some amazing photos coming out of the mountains of Arizona where there snows piled upwards to 3 Feet.  #desertlife

 

 

This is the view of 4 peaks facing east from the valley of the PHX area...

 

 

 

San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff...

 

 

 

 

[Stacsh]

Haven’t measured but went out to start my vehicle and it was close to bottom shin deep. I’d guess about 6” of fluffy white gold. Too bad it’s all going to melt!!

[St Paul Storm]

Finished with 5”. Models did a great job with the snowfall amounts here.

[Money]

Finished with 5.3 here

 

3-6 was the forecast so towards higher end

[dubuque473]

We got enough that they plowed my neighborhood. At least the ground is white again.

[james1976]

I did some measurements but the wind always makes it difficult. I'm going with 0.6". Not much obviously but enough to make things white again and the wind was whipping the snow around pretty good yesterday late afternoon.

[westMJim]

Took several snow fall measurements and came up with a average of 5" on the ground with a range of 1" to just over 8" so a rather good snow fall to end the month and year. At this time it is 28 and some light snow still falling.

[westMJim]

Haven’t measured but went out to start my vehicle and it was close to bottom shin deep. I’d guess about 6” of fluffy white gold. Too bad it’s all going to melt!!

Here at my yard I measured anywhere between 1 up to 8" and I rounded off 6 readings it 5"

[Niko]

About an inch here in mby. Might get another inch or 2 when LES kicks in later today. Temp at 28F.

[Minny_Weather]

Went to bed expecting a dusting, woke up to 2.5" OTG. 30.4*F.