Great Floods and Storms in the Midwest, and Incommensurate Weather Forecasts For Southern California During a Giant Winter Storm on Tuesday
An atmospheric river event, bringing ample amounts of moisture to the West this weekend, will gradually move across the country and bring hazardous weather to millions.
A giant winter storm cutting through the US is bringing severe weather, with dangerous blizzard conditions in the Great Plains, icy weather in the upper Midwest and severe storms along the Gulf Coast Tuesday.
Most of the coast will get about an inch of rain through the weekend, while northern and central California will get between 3 and 5 inches of rain. Coastal erosion and flooded roadways will be the main concerns.
Winds will also be a concern for California, with gusts of up to 40 mph in the valleys, 50 mph for coastal areas, and potentially even higher gusts forecast for exposed coastal headlands, mountaintops, and ridges.
Residents in Fargo, North Dakota are expected to see 6 inches of snow, and will be under a winter storm watch through Wednesday night. In addition to the 6 inches of snow that could fall in the city, a winter storm watch is in effect for Tuesday morning.
Travel will be difficult if not impossible due to the icy roads and whiteout conditions. There are also going to be power outages due to strong winds.
While tornadoes in December are rare, they are more likely within portions of the Lower Mississippi Valley and the Southeast where the peak of tornadoes occurs in the fall and winter.
There was an enhanced risk of severe weather for eastern Texas, as well as the Mississippi River Valley, on Tuesday with the main threats including tornadoes, damaging winds, and large hail. Shreveport, Alexandria, and Monroe, Louisiana, are all part of the threatened area.
As the event approaches, the details regarding the areas most at risk from tornadoes will become clearer.
The Californian Winter Storm During December 1st through Sunday Decerning: More Than 35 inches of Snow in Soda Springs
The storm blanketed some mountain areas of drought-parched California with thick snow, including Soda Springs in the northern part of the state, which received 60 inches of snow in 48 hours.
Winter storm warnings were in place overnight for the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, where an additional foot of snow could fall in the highest elevations before 4 a.m.
The storm already made for icy and dangerous conditions on key roadways, with authorities on Saturday closing down a long stretch of Interstate 80, from Colfax in Northern California to Stateline, Nevada, due to “blowing snow & near-zero visibility,” Caltrans said on Twitter.
The national weather service office in Reno had expected the snow to be 25% normal, but it has 888-405-7720 888-405-7720.
“It looks a lot like Christmas out here,” Deutschendorf said. “It didn’t come with a lot of wind, and it stuck to everything. It is like a picture postcard.
The snow totals are impressive, but he iscautiously optimistic that the precipitation will help the state out of its dry spell.
On its website, the ski resort posted photos of snow covering it in Olympic Valley, California.
This storm will definitely be remembered. We got 7.5 feet of snow since December 1st. Plus, in just 24 hours from Saturday morning to Sunday morning, we received more than 35 inches of snow — the 6th largest snowfall total in 24 hours that we have on record,” resort operators wrote.
The Wayne tornado comes down with an EF-2 tornado in the mid-Au, South Dakota, section of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area
The National Weather Service office in Rapid City, South Dakota, said travel through the area will be nearly impossible Tuesday and Wednesday, and possibly into Thursday.
In Minnesota, the National Weather Service issued various winter weather alerts, including a winter storm warning, an ice storm warning and a winter weather advisory. The Minnesota Department of Transportation said in a tweet Monday, “Challenging winter weather could impact travel statewide all week.”
In Anchorage, Alaska, an “unprecedented amount of snowfall” has led to schools being closed for four days and shut down the University of Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Pacific University on Monday.
These areas need the moisture and have seen great relief to drought conditions in the past week. Tennessee went from being at least partially dry to being at almost completely dry this week.
There were no deaths or injuries due to the tornado. But as authorities began assessing the damage to the town of Wayne on Tuesday morning, it was clear the damage was widespread.
National Weather Service meteorologist Doug Speheger said wind speeds reached 111-135 mph (179-211 kph) and the tornado was rated EF-2. The weather service estimated it to be on the ground for about two to four minutes.
As the storm went towards the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, there were at least two tornadoes spotted along the front edge, though the extent of damage wasn’t immediately known.
The Crossroads: A Snowstorm, Not a Cold War, but a Good Scenario for the Interaction of Highway Patrol and National Weather Service
“There’s essentially no one traveling right now,” said Justin McCallum, a manager at the Flying J truck stop at Ogallala, Nebraska. He said he got to work before the roads were closed, but likely won’t be able to get back home Tuesday. I can see the first poles on the outside of the building, but not the rest. I’ll most likely get a motel room tonight.
The South Dakota Department of Public Safety tweeted Monday: “This is a ‘we are not kidding’ kind of storm.” People were urged to stock up on essentials and stay home.
“It will be a busy week while this system moves across the country,” said Marc Chenard, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s headquarters in Maryland.
In northern Utah, a tour bus crashed Monday morning as snow and frigid temperatures blanketed the region. The Highway Patrol said in a statement that the bus flipped on it’s side after the driver lost control. The Highway Patrol said 23 passengers were injured, including some seriously.