12/20/06 NOW: CO / KS / WY / NE / SD (WINTER PRECIP)

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bobbi Andrzejek
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Bobbi Andrzejek

It's raining here near Yankton, South Dakota. Our farm has gotten about a half inch so far. There are small 1/4" icicles hanging from the tree branches, but the ground isn't slippery. It's supposed to turn to snow this evening and drop 5-8". At least, that seems to be the current thinking.

The temperature is hovering right at 32 for now. It must be fluctuating because slush appears on our deck and then disappears, only to form again a little later.
 
Ongoing report with pics can be found here!

Snow continues to fall heavily in the Denver area with an 8 inch accumulation at my apartment as of 2:00pm with more on the way. Figure totals around here will hit the 20 inch mark by storm's end.

I am updating my website using the link above as blogger picked a helluva time to get retarded. None the less, you cna view all posted pics as I throw them up on this page.

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Ongoing report with pics can be found here!
 
Hi Dean!

Coool ice storm!

At the moment, Denver is quickly being paralyzed with a monster snow storm-blizzard warning in effect until noon Thursday.

ALL of Denver metro schools closed BEFORE the storm got cranking..which is a first-ever for me..and I've lived here for 49 years.

Currently 10" of snow in front of the geek-mobile..ALL interstates are closed in/out of Colorado. Chain law is in effect for all single axle trucks IN Denver area. Denver transportation buses are stuck everywhere, all flights in/out of DIA have been cancelled, but DIA is not closed yet..go figure!
:rolleyes:

Based on current forecast...storm is not anywhere done..forecasts call for 2' in/around Denver metro area!

Very, very cool..

I love a good blizzard!!

Tim
 
Sigh... wish I was back home in Denver to enjoy the snow (and the inevitable White Christmas). I'm sitting in sunny Los Angeles, though.

My family sent this photo (to taunt me, I'm sure)...

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Already over a foot, they say.
 
Here's the view out my window in Coal Creek Canyon west of Denver at 9090 feet. Got a good 18" now and howling winds - this is a great blizzard, one for the record books! :)

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Edit: Over 2 feet of snow now. This is our 60's Scout snowplow which has given up the ghost on this storm!

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Well the snow started falling around 4:30 a.m. out here on the far Eastern Plains, and it has just continued to intensify throughout the day. Winds have been sustained at 25 to 40 mph since around 6:00 a.m., and gusts have easily surpassed 50 mph. Combined with air temperatures in the low twenties, windchills are around -20 to -30 below zero!:eek:
At times visibilities have dropped to near zero, a couple of times I couldn't even see out five feet past the windows of our house. I think we've already easily had 8 to 10 inches of snow, and it just keeps coming down fast and furious. Drifts are mostly in the three to five foot range at this point and by the time the storm winds down I think there may be six to eight foot drifts in some locations.
The storm is currently centered over the Oklahoma Panhandle and it is stalled out. This is apparent on the visible satellite loop. It now appears that the low pressure center will likely remain nearly stationary through the rest of the day, into the overnight hours and into Thursday morning before grudgingly shifting northeast Thursday midday. So given the latest data, it now seems likely that the heavy snowfall will last longer than expected, which is reflected in the fact that the Boulder WFO extended the Blizzard warning until noon tomorrow, and this could mean much greater storm total accumulations than currently forecast. I'm going to follow my gut and say that the storm isn't going to let up until the early afternoon hours tomorrow, and that when all is said and done, the following areas will see the following accumulations:
Eastern Plains: 1 to 2 feet, 2 1/2 feet in orographically favored areas
Front Range: 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 feet, up to 3 feet in orographically favored areas
Palmer Divide/Foothills: 2 to 3 feet, up to 3 1/2 feet in orographically favored areas
Those are some pretty darn impressive snow totals!:eek:

All in all a tremendous blizzard, a classic "High Plains Drifter", the likes of which we haven't seen in many years, and I'm with Verne here, this is going to be one for the record books! At least one advantage to this being a blizzard over a regular snowstorm, even thought the snow is really wet, with the wind whipping it around, the snow gets blown off the powerlines and tree branches before it can melt onto them, refreeze and weigh them down. So at least power outages don't seem to be as much of a threat with this storm as with others in the past, thank god.
It's one of those days just to heat up a cup of hot cocoa or cider, curl up in your favorite chair by the fireplace and watch the snow whizz past your windows on the wicked winter wind. :D
 
I moved this post to the forcast discussion
 
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We've only received about 6 to 8 inches so far on the northern side of Colorado Springs. It's hard to tell though with 50 mile per hour winds! I can not believe with dead northerly to northwesterly surface winds in all of southern Colorado that this storm has produced so much snow, but per local profilers, the winds are more easterly right above the surface, and the precipitation just keeps coming on in from the east and slamming into the foothills as seen on the radar. Usually northerly surface winds south of the palmer divide creates a shaddow affect where little precip falls. Northern areas of the palmer divide must be getting slaughtered! VERY impressive looking on satellite and radar with a classic coma shape and big dry slot drawing in from the south behind the cold front. Too bad this isn't May!
 
Too bad this isn't May!
On the contrary, thakn God is isn't May! I'd hate to have to miss this blizzard to chase or vice versa!

As of 5:00pm, I measure 13 inches of snow here in Lakewood with snow still coming down. The radar is showing a scouring of snow over the metro area, so a lull is occuring. How long that'll last is beyond me, but I anticipate about 20 inches of snow by morning. Drifts are several feet deep in places and that was apparent by me getting up to my knees. Wind chills are wicked with winds sustained well over 20 and 30mph.

Most everything I would imagine to be closed tomorrow as well even with the storm exiting the region by noon. Crazy night in store around here!

WOW! What a storm!!!!
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On the contrary, thakn God is isn't May! I'd hate to have to miss this blizzard to chase or vice versa!

You're a man of ALL weather Tony :)

Just an update; I got out in my pops 4wd Chevy Blazer. It's WAY worse than I earlier reported. There are drifts that approach 4 feet in my neighborhood; cars stuck everywhere, even 4wds. I got stuck in a huge drift, but got unstuck with a drastic drop in tire pressure.

It's really hard to tell on the level the exact amount of snow we've received because of the 50 mph wind gusts blowing the snow everywhere. I'd say between 12 and 14 inches, maybe even 16. The snowfall has slowed down a lot and the radar looks like things are starting to wind down from south to north, but it still looks socked in from the Palmer divide north and east.
 
The HPC keeps a multi-state "storm summary" that updates at least twice per day that's handy if you don't want to look through all the PNSs from the various NWSFOs --> http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/discussions/nfdscc4.html

Note that this is a 'dynamic' link in that the content changes as new storm summaries are issued, so it'll show the current storm summary until there's another significant weather event in the US. Also note that it has a "revised" Glen Haven amount of 44".
 
The center of circulation seems to have gotten its act together and is now heading east again. It looks like its found where it wants to go and will pass North of Wichita by about 120 miles. You can start to see where the next big feeder band/shortwave is developing about 70 miles NW of Wichita and the moisture rap around with this storm looks like it might try to get its act together and put down some moisture if we get any here snow here it will be really wet and wont stick to the ground so accumulations wont be accurate as to how much moisture feel. Im posting this before we get this line to come through I will have to drive in it on my way home tonight.
 
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