Winter In The USA 2012-2013.

[Mark]

How unusual is early October snow in North Dakota?

However, according to the Grand Forks Herald, on average, the first full inch of snow doesn’t fall until Nov. 11 in Fargo and Nov. 15 in Grand Forks, N.D.
 
They’re talking about ONE inch. But this storm is expected to dump six inches – or more! – of the white stuff on the area.
 
According to the National Weather Service, the potential exists for six or more inches of snow across the northern Red River Valley into northwest Minnesota.
 
So, when was the earliest measurable snowfall?

Records going back to 1940 show that, in the Red River Valley and the Devils Lake Basin, it was 62 years ago, on Oct. 2, 1950. Another notable snowstorm in those areas happened on Oct. 7-8, 1985.

The weather service defines measurable snow as 1 inch in depth or greater.

The earliest measurable snowfall in the broader region was on Sept. 11, 1989, in Hansboro, N.D., a small community near the Canadian border, about 40 miles north of Cando, N.D.

Western North Dakota has seen heavy snows in mid- to late September.

On average, the first full inch of snow isn’t seen until Nov. 11 in Fargo and Nov. 15 in Grand Forks.

In Fargo, at least some snow has fallen in every month of the year except July and August, according to records that date back to 1880, Godon said.

In Grand Forks, July is the only month that hasn’t seen snow, said meteorologist Bill Barrett, according to records that also date back to the late 1800s. However, those events might have been as little as a trace of snow.

“Based on the climatological record available, measurable snow is not all uncommon in early October,” said Mark Ewens, weather service climate forecaster in Grand Forks. “Typically, snow that falls early in the season melts off and may even be followed by a period of much milder weather.”


http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/376231/

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[Mark]

SHORT RANGE FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD
339 PM EDT WED OCT 03 2012

VALID 00Z THU OCT 04 2012 - 00Z SAT OCT 06 2012

...HEAVY PRECIPITATION POSSIBLE OVER PARTS OF THE UPPER
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY......TEMPERATURES WILL BE NEAR 25 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE
FOR PARTS OF THE NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS AND 10 TO 15 DEGREES BELOW
AVERAGE FOR THE NORTHERN PLAINS SOUTHWARD TO PARTS OF THE SOUTHERN
HIGH PLAINS..."
http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/discussions/hpcdiscussions.php?disc=pmdspd

[Mark]

Almost double previous record in Grand Forks and other areas.
 
“An early season snow event produced significant snow amounts for northeast North Dakota into northwest Minnesota for early October,” says NOAA.  ”The heaviest snow fell in Roseau county where around a foot of heavy wet snow has been reported as of 3 pm Thursday October 4. This heavy wet snow has also produced numerous power outages across this area.”
 
“These snow amounts appear to be record amounts for this early in the season for many areas. The previous record snowfall for October 4 or earlier at the NWS in Grand Forks was 2 inches on October 2, 1950. The NWS at Grand Forks reported 3.5 inches of snow with this storm on October 4, 2012. While records from around the area indicate that the October 2, 1950 storm produced about 2-5 inches around the region with localized higher amounts, with Leeds, ND receiving 7.0 inches on October 2, 1950, and Hallock 4.5 inches.”
 
…PRELIMINARY SNOWFALL REPORTS FROM THE AREA…
 
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS AS OF 3PM:
 
NORTH DAKOTA MAX DEPTH
 
PEMBINA (PEMBINA CO.) 4 INCHES
 
LANKIN (WALSH CO.) 3 INCHES
 
PARK RIVER (WALSH CO.) 2 INCHES
 
MICHIGAN (NELSON CO.) 3.3 INCHES
 
GRAND FORKS (GF CO.) 3.5 INCHES
 
2SE MAYVILLE (TRAILL CO.) 3 INCHES
 
FARGO (CASS CO.) 1 INCH (VARIABLE 1-2)
 
MINNESOTA
 
HALLOCK (KITTSON CO.) 4 INCHES
 
KARSLSTAD (KITTSON CO.) 6 INCHES
 
2W BADGER (ROSEAU CO.) 12 INCHES
 
10NNW BADGER (ROSEAU CO.) 14 INCHES
 
ROSEAU (ROSEAU CO.) 7 INCHES
 
STEPHEN (MARSHALL CO.) 5 INCHES
 
MIDDLE RIVER (MARSHALL CO.) 8 INCHES (VARIABLE 4-8)
 
GRYGLA (MARSHALL CO.) 3 INCHES
 
THIEF RIVER FALLS 4 INCHES (VARIABLE 3-6)
 
(PENNINGTON CO.)
 
RED LAKE FALLS 4 INCHES
 
(RED LAKE CO.)
 
3S ANGUS (POLK CO.) 8 INCHES (VARIABLE 4-8)
 
3SE CROOKSTON (POLK CO.) 6 INCHES
 
ADA (NORMAN CO.) 4 INCHES (VARIABLE 3-4)
 
MOORHEAD (CLAY CO.) 1.4 INCHES (AS OF 7AM)
 
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/news/display_cmsstory.php?wfo=fgf&storyid=87914&source=0

[Suezy]

Thanks for that Mark a good report.  Looks like they may be in for a tough winter ofer there.

[Mark]

The area’s first major snowfall of the year and attending cold snap could harm some late-maturing corn and soybeans crops and delay the harvest, says this article on Reuters.
 
As of Monday, only 36 percent of North Dakota’s corn crop had been harvested, while 53 percent of Minnesota’s corn crop had been harvested. Some 76 to 80 percent of the soybean crop had been harvested in both states.
 
Minnesota is the third largest soybean producing state in the United States and the fourth largest corn state. North Dakota ranks number 10 in soybean production.
 
This storm is “unique for this time of year,” said John Dee, meteorologist for Global Weather Monitoring.
 
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/04/us-markets-crops-weather-idUSBRE8930UU20121004

[Mark]

Posted: Oct 08, 2012 10:35 PM Updated: Oct 08, 2012 10:35 PM

Alan Crone, News On 6 Weather - bio | email
 


After a very chilly weekend, we're in store for a modest warm up today and tomorrow before another weak cold front passes the area Tuesday night.   The end of this week will feature a very active weather pattern, including the threat of severe storms across the southern or central plains.
 
The weekend cold snap is just about over. Low temps this morning in the 30s will be replaced with highs in the upper 60s this afternoon along with sunshine and south winds.  Temps Tuesday will move into the mid or upper 70s along with gusty south winds, but a cold front will pass the area late Tuesday evening  bringing highs back down into the upper 60s to near 70 Wednesday afternoon.  A few showers or storms may be possible across far eastern OK late Tuesday evening with the frontal passage but the moisture content will be lacking in quality and depth. I'll only make a mention of this slight probability and not include the pop on the 7 day planner.  But as the upper air pattern changes late this week, the south winds will quickly bring gulf moisture northward into the state as a powerful southwestern Upper air low-trough approaches the area.  The increase of low level moisture, a surface boundary nearby, and the upper level system could provide the first chance for severe weather we've seen during the early fall season. 

Storms may develop Thursday night into Friday across northern OK as Tuesday nights cold front retreats northward as a warm front and becomes stationary near the Kansas state line.  This boundary will be near northern OK Friday morning with a good chance of showers and storms across northern OK and southern Kansas.

As the strong upper level low approaches Friday night into Saturday, wind direction and speeds aloft will be favorable for developing sustained updrafts in thunderstorms.  The depth and quality of the moisture would support a mention of severe weather, more than likely Saturday afternoon and evening, across the southern plains.  The placement of the synoptic features will not be known with any certainty for a few days, but the pattern would suggest northern OK and much of central and eastern Kansas could experience some severe weather threat Friday or Saturday. 
 
The front would pass the area sometime Saturday evening or early Sunday morning as the main upper level trough clears the region.  This should result in improving weather late Saturday night or early Sunday morning.  The EURO model attempts to develop a small secondary trough at the base of the departing upper level system which would keep a chance of showers or storms in the forecast Sunday night or possibly Monday morning. 

We set a few records this weekend regarding the cold air.

 Saturday set a record for coldest daytime high of 50 degrees.   Sunday set a record for the earliest recorded freeze in Tulsa history. 

Our normal-average high for today is 75 and the low is 53. 

Daily records include the high of 97 from 1979 and the low of 30 from 2000.
http://www.newson6.com/story/19760800/monday-morning-update

[Rwood]

All this is "weather". The NOAA/CPC expectation for the US winter is not a cold one at this point.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/post/noaa-favors-warm-winter-for-washington-dc-noncommittal-on-snow/2012/08/17/ff76f48a-e884-11e1-936a-b801f1abab19_blog.html

[Mark]

Yes and we are a weather Forum.

[Rwood]

I was responding to the inference about a cold winter, not the existence of the reports. Every autumn in NZ, whenever there's a cold event or two ("weather"), lots of people surmise a forthcoming colder than average winter - which has failed to eventuate on the huge majority of occasions in the last 15 years or so.

[Mark]

WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FOR THE SNOWY AND SIERRA MADRE RANGES TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY.
 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
 
A PACIFIC LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM … WILL BRING STRONG WINDS AND HEAVY SNOW TO THE SNOWY AND SIERRA MADRE RANGES TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY. VALLEY LOCATIONS CAN EXPECT RAIN WITH SNOW ABOVE 9000 FEET. THE LOW WILL MOVE TO THE EAST SATURDAY WITH ACCUMULATING SNOW ENDING BY NOON.
 
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…CENTENNIAL…ALBANY…WOODS LANDING
 
* TIMING…MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW TO BEGIN AROUND 9 PM THIS
 EVENING WITH BEST CHANCES FOR HEAVY SNOW BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND 6 AM SATURDAY. ACCUMULATING SNOW SHOULD END AROUND NOON SATURDAY.
 
* TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS…6 TO 12 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE.
 
* WINDS/VISIBILITIES…WINDS GUSTING TO 55 MPH LIKELY LEADING TO NEAR WHITEOUT CONDITIONS…WIDESPREAD BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING.
 
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/riw/

[Mark]

Press release:  Elusive El Niño challenges NOAA’s 2012 U.S. Winter Outlook
 
The western half of the continental U.S. and central and northern Alaska could be in for a warmer-than-average winter, while most of Florida might be colder-than-normal December through February, according to NOAA’s annual Winter Outlook announced today from the agency’s new Center for Weather and Climate Prediction in College Park, Md.
 
Forecasters with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center say a wavering El Niño, expected to have developed by now, makes this year’s winter outlook less certain than previous years.
 
“This is one of the most challenging outlooks we’ve produced in recent years because El Niño decided not to show up as expected,” said Mike Halpert, deputy director of NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “In fact, it stalled out last month, leaving neutral conditions in place in the tropical Pacific.”
 


When El Niño is present, warmer ocean water in the equatorial Pacific shifts the patterns of tropical rainfall that in turn influence the strength and position of the jetstream and storms over the Pacific Ocean and United States. This climate pattern gives seasonal forecasters confidence in how the U.S. winter will unfold. An El Niño watch remains in effect because there’s still a window for it to emerge.
 
Other climate factors can influence winter weather across the country. Some of these factors, such as the North Atlantic Oscillation, a prominent climate pattern, are difficult to predict more than one to two weeks in advance. The NAO adds uncertainty to the winter outlook in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic portions of the country.
 
Areas ravaged by extreme drought over the past year are unlikely to see much relief from drought conditions this winter.
 
In the 2012 U.S. Winter Outlook (December through February) odds favor:
 ■Warmer-than-average temperatures in much of Texas, northward through the Central and Northern Plains and westward across the Southwest, the Northern Rockies, and eastern Washington, Oregon and California, as well as the northern two-thirds of Alaska.
 ■Cooler-than-average temperatures in Hawaii and in most of Florida, excluding the panhandle.
 ■Dryer-than-average conditions in Hawaii, the Pacific Northwest and Northern California, including Idaho, western Montana, and portions of Wyoming, Utah and most of Nevada.
 ■Dryer-than-average conditions in the upper Midwest, including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and northern Missouri and eastern parts of North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and western Illinois.
 ■Wetter-than-average conditions across the Gulf Coast states from the northern half of Florida to eastern Texas.
 
The rest of the country falls into the “equal chance” category, meaning these areas have an equal chance for above-, near-, or below-normal temperatures and/or precipitation.
 
This seasonal outlook does not project where and when snowstorms may hit or provide total seasonal snowfall accumulations. Snow forecasts are dependent upon the strength and track of winter storms, which are generally not predictable more than a week in advance.
 
NOAA’s National Weather Service is the primary source of weather data, forecasts and warnings for the United States and its territories. NOAA’s National Weather Service operates the most advanced weather and flood warning and forecast system in the world, helping to protect lives and property and enhance the national economy. Working with partners, NOAA’s National Weather Service is building a Weather-Ready Nation to support community resilience in the face of increasing vulnerability to extreme weather. Visit us online at weather.gov and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/US.National.Weather.Service.gov .
 
NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook, Twitter and our other social media channels at

 http://www.noaa.gov/socialmedia/.
 

[Mark]

Parts of West Virginia are under more than two feet of snow and at least 260,000 customers have no power as of midday Tuesday, says weather.com.
 
Blizzard conditions slammed West Virginia and Maryland overnight Tuesday, shutting down interstates and knocking out power. Authorities closed 45 miles of Interstate 68 because of little or no visibility and abandoned cars.
 
“As of Tuesday morning, 17 separate locations had picked up at least a foot of snow from far southwest Pennsylvania and into West Virginia,” says weather.com Senior Meteorologist Jon Erdman.
 
Western Maryland was hit by the wintry part of the storm with more than a foot of snow accumulating in the mountains. A 40-mile stretch of I-68 in far western Maryland is closed due to snow-related problems.
 
Record Snowiest October Days
 •Elkins, W.V.: 7″ (previous record was Halloween, 1917)
 •Bluefield, W.V. – 4.7″ )
 
As of right now, there is still a winter storm warning in effect for West Virginia above 2500 feet, with total snow accumulations of 6 to 12 inches expected.
http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/sandy-lets-it-snow/844514

[Mark]

750,000 without power
 
Central Park reported 4.4 inches of snowfall yesterday, shattering the 1878 record of 0.1 inches. Not only setting a record for a Nov. 7, it was the earliest 4-inch snowfall total in the park’s history, NBCNewYork.com reported. By Thursday morning the total had reached 4.7 inches.
 
Snow storms are unusual at this time of year in the New York City area. In fact, it’s the first time in recorded history that snowfall has ever been recorded at Islip, N.Y., Kennedy and LaGuardia airports.
 
Bridgeport, Conn., saw 3.5 inches, almost doubling the former record of 2.0 inches set in 1953.
 
Newark, N.J. reported 2.0 inches; far surpassing the previous record of a trace amount in 1981.
 
Parts of southern New Jersey saw more than 9 inches, while 6.1 inches was recorded at Newark Airport, which canceled most flights in advance of the storm.
 
Nassau County’s Malverne recorded 6.5 inches, while Brooklyn’s Sheepshead Bay had 3 inches. Flushing in Queens saw 7 inches, the Bronx’s Riverdale had 4.4 inches, and 6.4 inches was recorded in Great Kills on Staten Island.
 
The Weather Channel forecast three inches of snow in Philadelphia, and six to 12 inches in southeastern New York and New England.
 
http://news.msn.com/us/sandy-torn-northeast-deals-with-more-wind-snow
 
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/07/14987947-noreaster-snow-layers-sandy-destruction-more-evacuations-more-power-outages?lite&
 
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/08/15016190-record-snow-new-power-outages-as-storm-slams-northeast?lite&
 
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Noreaster-Tri-State-Weather-Forecast-Sandy-Damage-Outage-177834681.html

[Mark]

Examiner.com
 Adding insult to injury and after seeing signs of recovery from last Monday’s Hurricane Sandy, a Nor’easter storm battered the same areas on Wednesday bringing a storm surge that included strong winds up to 70 mph and 13 inches of snow with police …
 
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Nor’easter brings record snow to Northeast, 8 days after Superstorm Sandy
 Washington Post (blog)
 Snowfall totals from Nor’easter (NWS) The powerful Nor’easter is pulling away from New England, leaving behind record snowfall totals from New Jersey to Maine. New York City’s Central Park picked up 4.7 inches of snow, the earliest 4 inch snowstorm on …
 
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Edmonton auto body shops ‘chaotic all day’ after massive snowfall
 Vancouver Sun
 EDMONTON – Edmonton police say roads are faring better following the city’s near-record snowfall, despite frigid overnight temperatures that left surfaces slick and icy. The number of crashes recorded so far Thursday morning is down by half compared …
 
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Record snowfalls, new power outages, flood warnings as storm slams Northeast
 NBCNews.com (blog)
 New York’s Central Park saw 2.8 inches, which the NWS said beat the previous record of 0.1 inches in 1878. Full NBC coverage of Sandy’s aftermath. A record snowfall of 2 inches was set at Newark, N.J., breaking the old record of a trace amount set in 1981.
 
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773d LRS ready to tackle the snow head-on this year
 Sourdough Sentinel
 11/7/2012 – JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — As the temperatures begin to drop, our windshields will begin to freeze over. As darkness takes over our days, we wonder if we are in store for another record snowfall. We are all uncertain, but …
 
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Nor’easter Dumps Record Snow on Sandy-Weary Northeast
 NBC Connecticut
 Nor’easter Dumps Record Snow on Sandy-Weary Northeast. Transit and air traffic in the New York area were snarled by record snowfall and gusting winds. By Colleen Long and Frank Eltman.
 
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Weather Journal: Nor’easter Brought Record Snowfall – Metropolis …
 A fierce early season nor’easter is bringing record snowfall to Greater New York, aggravating recovery efforts a little more than a week after superstorm Sandy’s …
 blogs.wsj.com/…/weather-journal-noreaster-brought-record-sn…
 
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A RECORD SNOWFALL OF 5.2 INCH(ES) WAS SET AT WORCESTER MA … A RECORD SNOWFALL OF 1.7 INCHES WAS SET AT ISLIP NY YESTERDAY.
 www.wxedge.com/…/20121108snowstorm_records_totals__gr…>EXTREME WEATHER: Northeast Storm Slams America – Record …
 
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Record snowfall totals were recorded across the area: New York’s Central Park … A record…
  – Windsor, CT Patch
 Photo Gallery: A Look Back at January’s Record Snowfall. A look at Windsor’s record snowfall in January 2011. NEWS; Julian McKinley; Wednesday, January 26 …
 
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windsor.patch.com/topics/SnowfallVIDEO: Time-Lapse: Athena’s Snowfall
 Several people set up cameras to record snowfall as Athena blanketed the east coast. The following cameras were set up in New Jersey, New York and …
 www.weather.com/…41/…/time-lapse-athenas-snowfall-32083>
 
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Record Snow as 200,000 More Power Outages Strike Northeast US …
 NBC reported record snowfall totals that were recorded across the area: … A record snowfall of 2 inches was set at Newark, N.J., breaking the old record of a …
 beforeitsnews.com/…/record-snow-as-200000-more-power-ou…Nor’easter slams into already Sandy battered areas … -
 XplorLocal
 
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Nor’easter slams into already Sandy battered areas with record snowfall. Adding insult to injury and after seeing signs of recovery from last Monday’s Hurricane …
 xplorlocal.com/…/noreaster-slams-into-already-sandy-battered…

[Mark]

“Only 6 times since 1868 (144 yrs!) has there been more than 4.6” of snow for entire month of November in Central Park,” says reader Ralph Fato. “2012 has 4.8” already.”
 
Source: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/okx/climate/records/monthseasonsnowfall.html
 
“And it wasn’t just daily records that were broken,” says Ralph. “Entire Month of November single-storm records were broken for the area of Bridgeport, Connecticut, Newark New Jersey and JFK Airport, NY!”
 
From National Weather Service, NY
 
“Many daily snowfall records were set during the recent nor’easter. Also, single storm snowfall records were broken for the month of the November at Bridgeport, Kennedy, and Newark. For more information, check out this graphic”
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/okx/climate/records/monthseasonsnowfall.html

Bridgeport, CT (on the coast) Normal November snowfall is .70”. They have 8.3” already..with one storm. Let me repeat that… Normal November snowfall for BDR is .7”, they have 1,100% more already. 2nd highest November total on record.
 
Source: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/okx/climate/almanacs/bdrnov.htm

[Suezy]

Hope we dont follow the trend from over there for our winter.
Many years ago we used to more or less follow what England had but things have changed since those days.
Great article Mark and thank you for keeping us informed.

[Weather Display]

Sandy stirred up a real hornets nest

re record early snow falls:
sea surface temperatures have been above average in the northern hemisphere, meaning more surface moisture available for snow

[Rwood]

Sorry, but there has never, repeat never, been any correlation between the UK's weather and ours. It's time that legend was buried once and for all. Even the Australian linkage is not all that strong despite the proximity of mobile weather systems.

[Mark]

Meteorologists use the term "atmospheric river" to describe a long, narrow plume piping deep moisture from the tropics into the mid-latitudes.  One type of atmospheric river (hereafter, AR) you may have heard of is the "Pineapple Express", a pronounced plume tapping moisture from the Hawaiian Islands to the U.S. West Coast. 

Amazingly, according to NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL), a strong AR can transport as water vapor up to 15 times the average flow of liquid water at the mouth of the Mississippi River! 

Suffice to say, if an AR stalls over a particular area, significant flooding can be the result.  In fact, a study by Ralph et al. (2006) found ARs responsible for every flood of northern Calfornia's Russian River in a 7-year period. 

That said, they're also important for western water supply considerations. 

According to NOAA/ESRL, 30-50% of the average annual precipitation in the West Coast states typically occurs in just a few AR events.

With that in mind, one such AR is poised to soak parts of the West Coast this week.  Let's get to the forecast details



Affected California Cities
•
San Francisco,CA

59°F

Mostly Cloudy

•
Sacramento,CA

58°F

Partly Cloudy





See if My City is Impacted:







Flood Threat Looms

The graphic at the top of this article depicts the upper-air pattern that will setup by mid-late week.  Namely, a deep dip, or trough, in the jet stream will carve out over the eastern Pacific Ocean. 

This will send a parade of frontal systems and upper-level disturbances into the West Coast through this weekend.

The first storm arrived on Wednesday and brought rainfall from California to the Pacific Northwest. The combination of wind and rain led to hefty delays at San Francisco International Airport.

(MAP: Current radar)

Beginning Thursday, the upper-level pattern will begin to tap into an atmospheric river of moisture extending from just north and west of Hawaii to the West Coast.




 Rain Forecast








(FORECAST MAPS:  Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun)

Most importantly, that plume of moisture won't move appreciably for a couple of days, perhaps through Sunday, aiming its firehose of moisture at northern California and, perhaps, southwest Oregon. 

Therefore, some locations, particularly in the coastal ranges of northwest California and the Sierra foothills, will likely pick up over 10 inches of total rainfall through this weekend, leading to flash flooding, river flooding and, in recent burn areas, debris flows.   

(INTERACTIVE:  Flood watches)

Depending on exactly where the moisture plume sets up, this heavy rain could produce significant impacts (flash flooding, rock/mudslides, etc.) in at least parts of the Bay Area, as well. 

Rainfall amounts in Southern California are expected to be much lighter, with totals over the 5-day period starting Wednesday around an inch or so expected.

Heavy Snow Confined to High Terrain
 


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West Regional Forecast












West Regional Forecast
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This pattern will also produce heavy snow over the Sierra, not to mention parts of the Bitterroots, Tetons, and the Washington Cascades.

For Northern California our Winter Weather Expert Tom Niziol says, "This is a relatively mild pattern, therefore snow levels will be above 6,000 to 7,000 feet for most of the time with impacts mainly at pass levels. To put this in perspective, the highest elevation of I-80 through Donner Pass is about 7,230 feet".

Niziol adds, "For the first significant system, snow will occur in the Wednesday through Thursday morning time frame there, at this point I am looking at snow totals in the range of 3 to 8 inches for the Sierra and as much as a foot around Mt Shasta. Impacts then spread north as the second system moves in Thursday through Friday bringing more precipitation, which will fall as heavy snow at elevations above 6,000 to 7000 feet across the Sierra. The Cascades through the Bitterroots will also see heavy snowfall with accumulations exceeding a foot at elevations mainly above 6000 feet." 

http://www.weather.com/news/weather-forecast/california-flood-threat-20121126

[Mark]

December 3, 2012 – TEXAS – High temperatures in the Austin area have already broken records during December, after November also brought record high temperatures and, for the first time in decades, no rain in Austin for the entire month. Austin saw no measurable rainfall in November, according to reports compiled on the Austin-Bergstrom Airport Area by the National Weather Service Southern Region Headquarters. According to the report, this is the first year Austin has had only trace amounts of rainfall in the month of November since 1970, more than four decades ago. Record highs were set on Nov. 1 at 88 degrees and Nov. 3 at 87 degrees. High temperatures reached into the 80s on 15 days in November, and lows never reached freezing. The most days it has reached 80 degrees in the area in November was in 1931, with 17 days in the 80s. Temperatures Saturday hit 83 degrees, breaking the daily record of 82 degrees set in 1954. The high reached 80 degrees Sunday, and is forecast to hit 83 degrees Monday. Previous December highs were 84 degrees Dec 2. 2007 and 86 degrees Dec. 3 1995. As of the end of November, the Austin area and 81 percent of the state was in a drought classified as moderate or worse, the second of five classifications for drought severity, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. 54 percent of the state was in a drought classified as severe or worse, 25 percent was classified as extreme or worse and 8 percent was classified as exceptional. –Daily Texan