• After witnessing the continued decrease of involvement in the SpotterNetwork staff in serving SN members with troubleshooting issues recently, I have unilaterally decided to terminate the relationship between SpotterNetwork's support and Stormtrack. I have witnessed multiple users unable to receive support weeks after initiating help threads on the forum. I find this lack of response from SpotterNetwork officials disappointing and a failure to hold up their end of the agreement that was made years ago, before I took over management of this site. In my opinion, having Stormtrack users sit and wait for so long to receive help on SpotterNetwork issues on the Stormtrack forums reflects poorly not only on SpotterNetwork, but on Stormtrack and (by association) me as well. Since the issue has not been satisfactorily addressed, I no longer wish for the Stormtrack forum to be associated with SpotterNetwork.

    I apologize to those who continue to have issues with the service and continue to see their issues left unaddressed. Please understand that the connection between ST and SN was put in place long before I had any say over it. But now that I am the "captain of this ship," it is within my right (nay, duty) to make adjustments as I see necessary. Ending this relationship is such an adjustment.

    For those who continue to need help, I recommend navigating a web browswer to SpotterNetwork's About page, and seeking the individuals listed on that page for all further inquiries about SpotterNetwork.

    From this moment forward, the SpotterNetwork sub-forum has been hidden/deleted and there will be no assurance that any SpotterNetwork issues brought up in any of Stormtrack's other sub-forums will be addressed. Do not rely on Stormtrack for help with SpotterNetwork issues.

    Sincerely, Jeff D.

Tornadoes In/Near Snowstorms-Possible?

A tornado passing over snow already on the ground from a previous winter storm might be in the realm of possibility. It would take something like an unseasonably northward-protruding warm sector ahead of a strong surface low (IE a 11/10/02-like event) to suddenly overrun the swath of a major snowstorm from a few days prior. If 1.) the snow on the ground was deep enough to not completely melt away during the warm temps, and 2.) if the setup was strong enough to compensate for limited heating due to reflective snow-covered ground.

I witnessed one such incident in late February in the late 1980’s in Eastern IA. I forget the exact year/date. The day started out with dense fog and temperatures around 40F with a thick snow cover on seasonably cold ground. The warm front pushed through early in the afternoon, partially clearing skies and allowing for temperatures and dewpoints to briefly shoot up into the low-60’s before storms and embedded weak supercells along a trailing cold front approached the area. I watched a weak (F0) tornado which persisted for at least 5 minutes until it became rain-wrapped, from a distance of a few miles. Damage was minor, mainly roof damage to a couple of structure that took a direct hit. Nevertheless, there was a partial snow cover on the ground while this event took place - bill
 
Yes it can definitely happen, as the others have said. I'll never forget one time when I was younger (I'd say in the late '90's) I was watching the Weather Channel, and Jim Cantore was broadcasting live for some snow event. Then in the background there was a clap of thunder and he freaked out...he was like "whoaaa was that THUNDER??? I didn't know that could happen!" or something to that effect.
 
So you guys are looking for "extreme" winter weather? I am expecting to see the return of historic snow falls from the past around these parts this year... in the 40's a train was burried by a pretty big blizzard in Saskatchewan.

Our first snowfall of the year comes usually in September sometime, however due to the fantasic hurricane season in the gulf, we have been experiencing some really boring weather this ""autumn"" (we are going to change the names of our seasons soon...) , anyhoo, a WINTER STORM WARNING is now up and I expect our first snowfall any minute here in Saskatoon. Listen to all the car accidents on my scanner feed when the freezing rain hits morning rush hour! Hopefully I won't be late for school...

Jared Mysko
Graphic Design/New Media Production
saskatoonscanner.com
 
I came across a passage in the book Extreme Weather by Christopher C. Burt that deals with the subject of snow tornadoes. It's located on page 101 if anyone else owns this.

Although there are no confirmed reports of a tornado actually forming in a snowstorm, occasionally they have traveled over snow covered fields and forests and sucked the snow into their vortices, giving them the appearance of the proverbial white tornado of Top Job fame. Such was the case in Utah on December 2, 1970, when a twister moved across the Timpanogas Divide, where a snow cover of some 38\" had accumulated. The tornado was powerful enough to snap trees one foot in diameter and suck snow over a thousand feet high into its funnel. This gave it a solid white appearance.
 
I seem to remember a story of a very damaging mini sup that formed in Britain. I think it produced a mid-range tornado, and the air temperature was cold enough to produce some snow in the precip shaft of the storm.

This has got to still be in the archives, but I have no idea where to look, that stuff is uncategorized. Help me?
 
Back
Top