Henry Margusity

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A Windblown Snowstorm for the Northern Plains

October 03, 2012; 8:28 AM

Commentary

The storm going through the Dakotas is going to wind up and produce a windblown snow from eastern North Dakota into northern Minnesota and far western Ontario. Winds will be gusting over 40 mph, and the snow, which will be heavy and wet, will be plastered over everything. I think some areas will see up to 6 inches of snow with roads becoming snow covered and slick. Even the high country of western Montana and Wyoming will see heavy snows with over 6 inches in some of the higher locations.

The cold air following the storm will plunge south and east. I know some of the models have been showing snow later in the weekend across parts of the eastern Great Lakes and Northeast. I think it's a little early in the season for snow despite what the models are showing. The boundary layer temps are not cold enough yet even though the upper-level temps where the snow develops will be cold enough for snow. What happens is the snowflakes fall through a warm boundary layer and just melt into rain. Soon folks, soon it will be snow season....

The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of AccuWeather, Inc. or AccuWeather.com

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Henry Margusity
AccuWeather.com severe weather expert, Henry Margusity, offers the Meteorological Madness blog including detailed analysis of severe weather across the US.