Squall Line causes widespread damage... Threat continues tonight for Eastern seaboard.

Sadly, there is one confirmed report of a fatality in Franklin County, Tennessee.  Details are unclear as of now but local media outlets are reporting that a man was pinned under a mobile home in Estill Springs, TN.  This storm system has caused a very wide swath of significant damage through many states.  There are multiple reports of tornadoes, winds in excess of 85mph, and hail to the size of baseballs.  A good reminder to practice severe weather safety procedures when warnings are issued.  Unfortunately, the threat from the same system continues in the Southeast.  A large squall line is moving through the Atlanta metro area now which has shut down the Atlanta airport (the busiest airport in the world) causing major flight delays.  It has been a very busy weather week for many parts of the country with almost 625 reports of severe weather since Sunday (as of 5:30pm CDT).  The weather will settle down a bit for the remainder of the week with no major storms for the next week.  Some strong storms will be possible late in the week for TX, OK, AR, and LA.  This system will spread through many of the same areas as the last two events.  Stay tuned for further details

Missouri Under Siege!

Rotating supercell thunderstorms continue to rumble across eastern Kansas and western Missouri this evening.  These storms are forecasted to be only the beginning of a large scale severe weather event.  Multiple Watches and warnings are in effect now and they are almost certain to continue in to the overnight hours.  This situation is particularly dangerous due to the nocturnal nature of the storms.  The system will eventually evolve in to one or more squall line type storms which have the possibility of widespread swaths of damaging wind and brief tornadoes that can quickly spin up with any embedded circulation.  The storms will continue east through the overnight hours spreading the severe threat all the way to the east coast tomorrow.  I will probably lose several hours of sleep tracking the storms even though I am 1000 miles away.  Hopefully those in the affected areas pay close attention to the latest watches and warnings as it could mean the difference between life and death.

(Image: NOAA/NWS/Storm Prediction Center)  

Severe Weather Outbreak Likely Today in to Tonight For Central US.

A very potent upper level system with a very strong jet stream flow will clash with very warm, moist air from the gulf along with a deepening low pressure center now over the four corners region.  Storms will erupt very quickly   around eastern Kansas and western Missouri.  These storms should move quickly to the ENE though the afternoon and evening hours and will be capable of all modes of severe weather with destructive hail and damaging wind gusts being the primary threat, although an isolated tornado can not be ruled out.  The greater threat will come later in the evening from eastern Oklahoma in to western/central Arkansas.  Here, a greater tornado and wind threat will exist and will continue to move from the Ozark plateau in to the Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys overnight.  The storms should start out as discreet supercells and eventually merge in to a single linear system which will affect a widespread area.  This is a particularly dangerous situation as storms will continue, and possibly intensify, during the overnight hours.  Stay tuned to later forecasts and updates on this developing weather situation. Have a great day!

Another Day 2 Moderate Risk For Severe Weather Issued by SPC.

The SPC in Norman, OK has issued yet another moderate risk for the day 2 period.  These outlooks are fairly rare, only averaging about 10 issued every year.  This is the 2nd issued in the last 4 days and unfortunately it will affect many of the same areas as Thursday's storms.  The setup for Sunday's storm looks to be very similar to that of Thursday's event.  There is still some uncertainty as to when and what type of storms will develop first.  The atmosphere will remain "capped"  over parts of Eastern Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas which means warm air aloft will inhibit some storm development early in the period.  The storms are again expected to merge in to a single line along the frontal boundary/dry line and move across the middle Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys with damaging winds likely and tornadoes possible with any embedded supercell storms.  Stay tuned to later forcasts and updates on this potentially dangerous situation.

(Image: NOAA/NWS/SPC)

Farewell Discovery!

Space shuttle Discovery lifted off at 4:53pm EDT Thursday for what is scheduled to be its final flight in to space.  Shuttle mission STS-133 is led by commander Steven Lindsey and flown by pilot Eric Boe.  Some interesting facts about this flight are that mission specialist Steve Bowen is making his second consecutive shuttle flight as he was on board Atlantis for mission STS-132 in May of 2010.  He is the first astronaut to ever fly back-to-back missions.  The second interesting bit is that Discovery will have a "robonaut" on board.  "R2" as NASA calls it will become a permanent resident of the International Space Station and be used to assist crew members and also studied to understand how robots behave in space.  The educational and inspirational experiences the shuttle program has provided will surely be missed after the program is retired later this year.  Two more flights are scheduled for this year with the last being STS-135 slated to lift off in late June 2011.  Meanwhile, the weather in the West continues to be unsettled with snowy and very cold conditions.  We are still tracking a slight risk of severe weather over much of the southern plains into the Mississippi river valley on Sunday so stay tuned for further updates.  Have a great day!

(Logo credit: NASA)

Record cold expected for western US.

Temps will plummet tonight throughout much of the country but especially in the West where temps will run 25 to 40 degrees below average in many places.  Freeze warnings are in effect for much of central California where record low temps are possible tonight.  This system will bring snow to elevations as low as 1000 ft. in the San Francisco Bay area.  The system will slowly move to the east and strengthen once again bringing heavy snow to the upper midwest and thunderstorms to the central plains with severe weather looking more likely by the end of the weekend.  All modes of severe weather appear possible although damaging wind gusts appear to be the main threat at this time.  Stay tuned for additional updates. Have a great night!

Stormy for both coasts, quiet in Central US.

The storm system which swept through the lower Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys with deadly speed has now moved on to New England where rain, snow, and mixed precip continue to fall.   Sadly, tragedy struck in Graves County, Kentucky after for young Amish children were swept away by flash flooding.  None of them were found alive.  Just another senseless reminder of how dangerous severe weather can be.  Keep those children in the back of your mind next time you hear of any flash flood warnings in your area.  Meanwhile, the West is dealing with snow and cold temps virtually everywhere as several low pressure centers sit nearly stationary.  Many areas are currently under some type of winter warning or advisory with very heavy snow already falling in the Sierra Nevada. These lows will slowly begin to organize over the Rockies over the next 36-48 hours.  As this system pushes to the east it will again bring severe weather to many of the same areas affected by yesterdays storms.  Also, this could mean significant snow for the upper midwest where temps should be cold enough. The exact track of the low is still uncertain so check back often.  I will update as soon as the information becomes available.  Have a great day!    

Severe Weather Threat to continue into tonight.

A massive squall line continues to move East towards the Mississippi River producing tornado warnings, destructive hail, deadly lightning and extremely heavy rainfall.  The threat will continue in to the overnight hours.  As time goes on the main threat will become damaging wind gusts.  Tornado watches continue until 10PM local time with isolated tornadoes possible throughout tonight.  There are breaking news reports of vehicles being blown off of  Interstate 55 in MO.  Continue to monitor the latest forecasts and updates concerning this severe weather event.

(Image: National Weather Service)

Tornado Watch issued for AR/LA/TX

The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued the first Tornado watch of the day for parts of Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Arkansas.  This Tornado watch is valid until 6PM CDT for these areas.  A line of storms has developed along the frontal boundary and is rapidly progressing to the ENE.  It is likely that supercell thunderstorms will develop quickly out in front of the main line of storms.  More watches are likely as well as warnings so stay tuned for updates.  If you live in any the the affected areas please stay abreast of the local forecast as this is a very dangerous situation.

A Colorful Day on the U.S. Hazards Map.

Good Morning!  Two large areas of heavy precipitation are ongoing across the Central U.S. this morning as a strong area of low pressure is developing to the Southwest.  A stripe of winter storm warnings is now in effect all the way from central Kansas in to Maine.  Some strong storms are now around the Texas/Oklahoma border as this area is currently under a severe thunderstorm watch.  The main threat from any of these storms will be hail and/or damaging winds.  The more prominent event of the day will unfold later this afternoon over portions of Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky.  Ongoing storms in Texas and Oklahoma will continue to move Northeast. As these storms move to the NE they will encounter a large amount of unstable and moist air from the gulf.  There will be enough rotation in the atmosphere that strong tornadoes and very large hail are likely.  These storms are expected to eventually merge in to a single bowing line with the threat for widespread damaging wind becoming the greater threat tonight.  All modes of severe weather will be possible in to the early hours of Friday morning so stay tuned to further updates. Have a great day!

SPC issues Moderate Risk For severe weather Thursday.

Good morning everyone!  The Storm prediction Center in Norman, OK has issued a day 2 moderate risk for severe weather for portions of Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee.  The latest information suggests that a strong surface low will pass over the region Thursday afternoon.  With surface dew points in the 60's and a low level jet stream flow of 60 knots storms will begin to fire along the dry line/cold front early Thursday afternoon and continue in to the evening and overnight hours.  This is a dangerous setup for those residing in the area as they are forecasting potentially "strong" tornadoes which they define as EF2 or greater on the enhanced Fujita scale.  The next outlook is due out at 11:30AM Central time.  I will be updating quite frequently throughout the event so please stay tuned for further updates.  Have a great day!  

(Image: NOAA / SPC)

The waiting game...

Good afternoon everyone!  We are watching two areas of low pressure that will impact the lower 48 states in the coming days.  The first is centered about 300 miles to the SW of San Francisco, CA.  This low is expected to continue to move South until mid-week when it will shift to the East and move inland.  As this disturbance crosses the Rockies it will begin to strengthen.  There is the threat of significant severe weather as this low moves through the central plains in to the Mississippi and Tennessee valleys.  The low will then continue on a generally SW to NE track bringing with it the chance for rain and snow to the East coast.  The second low we are tracking will bring snow and bitter cold temps to the northern Rockies.  Temps could be in the 30 to 50 degree below average for this time of year in Montana.  This low will also spread precip in to parts of South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota by the end of the work week with another system on its heels for Early next week.  Check back for updates and have a great day! 

Powerful earthquake Hits New Zealand.

A powerful 6.3 Earthquake has struck the city of Christchurch, New Zealand at a depth of 3.1 miles. A depth which is fairly shallow for a strong quake such as this one.  The USGS is also reporting a strong after shock registering 5.6 within the last hour.  Widespread damage and serious injuries are being reported along with power outages and general chaos in the streets as the quake happened just before 1PM local time (6PM Central time).  Christchurch has been struck many times before including a very strong 7.1 striking the southern city in September 2010.

Love it or hate it... it's still Winter.

The winter storm is beginning to move out of the area however, snow continues to fall here in East central MN.  It should taper to flurries by this afternoon. Snow reports are coming in anywhere from 13 to 19 inches from across the region putting this storm right in line with the December storm that dumped around the same amount. As I was typing that the power went out... a snow plow must have hit a power pole or something . As of this morning at 6:00 AM the season total stood at 73.6 inches at the MSP airport so far.  This ranks 11th snowiest in Twin Cities history with the record standing at 98.6 inches for the 1983-1984 winter.  We will probably will end up somewhere in the 90 inch range if March runs about average. Still tracking a severe weather outbreak later in the week for the lower Mississippi Valley region with damaging winds, destructive hail, and isolated tornadoes all being possible. Stay tuned for further updates. Have a great afternoon!

(Image courtesy of the NWS)

Snow, Snow, and more Snow.

The snow continues to fall here in the Twin Cities with the wind picking up considerably.  Estimating the snowfall is difficult at this point due to the wind. Here in the west metro I would say about 8 inches has fallen at this point. The snow will continue in to the morning hours with winds gusting to 30mph, which will most certainly have an adverse impact on the morning commute. Road closures continue to be reported in SW Minnesota and parts of South Dakota. I just had the pleasure of watching the neighbor shovel the parking lot to get his BMW z3 in to his garage. Sure makes me glad I drive an SUV.  School and activity closings are already being posted so stay tuned to media coverage for the latest updates. High winds caused downed power lines and snapped tree branches up and down the East coast. Mixed precip continues to cause major airport delays in Chicago as well. The weather has shifted back to a colder, more stormy pattern for at least the next week or so. The Storm Prediction Center is forecasting what could be a significant tornado outbreak on Thursday for parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Mississippi.  The threat is forecast continue overnight in to Friday to the East. I will update as soon as more information becomes available.   Travel safely and have a great night everyone!

Footloose!

Good morning! Models are now forecasting a foot or better of snow in many parts of SD and MN.  The Twin Cities metro area will be taking a direct hit from this major winter storm. A winter storm warning is now in effect for a good portion of the northern half of the country. Snow is expected to spread from southwest to northeast starting tonight with widespread snowfall amounts of 8-12 inches and locally higher amounts possible. Stay tuned to further forecasts and updates concerning this storm.

Major Winter Storm to affect Upper Midwest!

Where do I start?  Here at home in the Twin Cities we just became the bullseye for the next major winter storm. Does this remind you of previous posts perhaps?  Meanwhile, the still deflated Metrodome could see as much as 12 inches of snow in what is going to look like a giant ice cream scoop shortly.  There is also the Solar storms which continue to cause HF radio blackouts and geomagnetic storms.  I'm not sure if it is related but I have had no data service with t-mobile all day and the local NWS radar (KMPX) information was not available for a short time.  Not good considering we are staring down the barrel of a precipitation gun.  I will be updating as frequently as possible throughout the weekend once things become more organized and clear.  I want to say a quick hello to the Baklund family. Oliver, I am working on your question buddy! Thanks for the support! Please continue to check your local forecast for area specific information. Have a great evening!

-Brian

Sun of a Gun!

The weather here on Earth seems to be somewhat calm for the moment, but we can't say the same for the Sun.  On Monday evening the Sun ejected a strong solar flare.  The "shock" from this solar flare is expected to arrive any time between Thursday night and midday Friday according to the Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, CO.  The flare is expected to cause "strong" geomagnetic storming which is a G3 on a scale from G1 to G5.  G1 being "minor" and G5 being "extreme".  The flare is not expected to cause any widespread outages however some re-routing of air traffic is possible along with high frequency radio communications being affected.  The SWPC did confirm that this flare was the largest of its kind since 2006.  If nothing else it has been a while since I've seen the Aurora!

Image courtesy of NOAA.

Feeling a little foggy?

Good afternoon! Dense fog and drizzle has been persistent through the morning hours but is expected to lift giving way to what could be record temps for east central MN and west central WI.  Windy conditions will develop this evening in to tonight with gusts to 40 mph possible for central MN.  The west continues to see unsettled conditions with watches, warnings, and advisories still in effect for the Sierra Nevada and points east.  Blizzard warnings are now posted for northwestern ND and a winter storm warning remains in effect for western MT. The east will be generally quiet with only light showers expected in parts of SC.  The Minnesota Dept. of Public Safety and the NWS will be holding a Spring Flood Update press conference at 2:30 pm, in which the are expected to release the latest flood forecasts and begin preparations for what could be a very wet Spring in the Red, Minnesota, and Mississippi river valleys.  I will update as soon as the information is released. Have a great afternoon!

Monster Snowfall In The Sierra Nevada Range!

Heavy snowfall continues for the next couple of days for the Sierra Nevada range. Check out the NWS 7 day forecast for Carson  Pass, CA.  Ive Posted the link below. Notice the amounts of snow everyday. Measured in feet, not inches. We thought we had it bad here in MN. The models continue to indicate a strong low pressure system moving through the central plains Sunday night in to Tuesday spreading what is sure to be rain, sleet, and snow over several states. The strength and track of the low will determine which type of precipitation falls, and where. Check back, I will be updating frequently about this possible winter storm.

Link to NWS 7-day forecast for Carson Pass, CA:
http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=38.66192241975437&lon=-119.8992919921875&site=sto&smap=1&unit=0&lg=en&FcstType=text

In the crosshairs again?

Good morning everyone!  It's going to be a fairly quiet day weather wise here in the upper midwest.  Can't say the same for the western US. Blizzard warnings are now posted for parts of CO with continuing heavy precipitation in the mountains of CA.  High wind warnings posted for most of Nevada, Utah, and parts of Southern California. Dense fog blanketed much of the central plains this morning as relatively warm air sat over the snow pack that now blankets many of those states.  The East coast will generally remain quiet through the end of the work week until a strengthening low pressure system will bring windy conditions to New England. Models continue to indicate a possible winter storm moving in to the upper Mississippi valley region by early next week.  Continue to check back for updates!

-Brian

Beginners!

Alright, so I am starting to figure out exactly what a blog is.  I thought it was going to be more of a discussion type of atmosphere or something like that.  I guess thats what a forum style setup would be for.  I don't know... I'm new at this.  I have a goal.  My goal is to try to get some awesome weather experiences and as much information to as many people as possible.  I would also like to see 1,000 page views so please help out!

The proverbial "off-season" for weather seems to no longer exist.  This time of the year used to be know for a more settled pattern.  Not any more.  It literally seems like yesterday that the local and national "weather man" was telling us that the storm of the century was on its way.  That's because it was yesterday.  It seems as though every weather event has more of an impact than the one before it. Of course, it may only appear that way due to everything from the rising population=bigger impact theory to greater mass media coverage. This blog contains no bias as all great meteorologists maintain that no single weather event can be attributed to climate change.

I will do my best to cover as many significant events as possible.  I hope everyone enjoys the blog.  Please comment as everything is read.  I'm sure I will figure out more about the blog setup in the coming days and weeks so check back often as it will be updated frequently!

-Brian    

Midwestern Heat Wave!

If you live in the upper midwest as I do you are in for a bit of a Spring treat through Thursday.  Temps will generally be warming to the low to mid 40's in the Minneapolis area with lows overnight right around the freezing mark.  As we all know this will not last as we are only half way through February.  The western half of the country will see a stormy pattern the next couple of days with winter storm warnings issued for many of the mountainous areas and winter weather advisories in the lower elevations.  Much of the Northeast will chill down just a bit today and tonight but should recover nicely towards the end of the week.  The South should remain dry and temps in the mid 70's with the exception of a few scattered showers in the AR/LA/TX region. Have a great day!

-Brian   

The First Post!

Hey Everyone! Welcome To the first post for my brand spankin' new weather blog.  Other than brief moments on facebook (can I type that here without being sued?) , this is my first intentional post on the internet.  I am doing this because I am very passionate about the weather and I love to tell people about it.  This will probably help with my relationship with my girlfriend as well, as she wont have to listen to me so much anymore.

I know that people from every part of the weather spectrum will view, and hopefully post, on the blog.  My only reason for doing this is to bring together the best stories, experiences, and information from all walks of weather life.  I myself do not possess any sort of degree or certification in meteorology so please don't take anything too seriously.  I might get a little anxious at times (those of you who know me know what Im talking about) but don't worry, I will get over it eventually.  Please feel free to offer any expertise, comments, or any other other info that you feel is worthy of a post.

As for the main topic of discussion on the blog, I will try to post some sort of  blurb about the weather somewhere in the world every day, but will mostly consist of things going on in the U.S.  As most of us know, these days the weather seems to be increasingly hostile, with heavier precipitation, stronger winds, and more destruction than ever before.  There has never been a better time to be aware of the forces around you.

Please have fun with the blog and keep things polite as there is no room for "internet fighting" here.  I hope to hear from everyone and share some amazing experiences!  Thanks Everyone!

-Brian