Alberta Clipper unleashing snow across the Dakotas and into the Great Lakes region
By
Brandon Buckingham, AccuWeather Meteorologist
Published Nov 5, 2019 10:19 AM EDT
The unsettled weather pattern is set to continue across the Plains and Great Lakes as an Alberta Clipper system tracks through the region through Wednesday.
The storm system will be a quick hitter across the region, and with limited moisture in place, snowfall totals are not expected to amount to much by Midwestern standards. However, snow as well as a few pockets of freezing rain will fall in some areas to create slick travel conditions.
Late Tuesday evening, light freezing rain began wreaking havoc around the Sioux Falls, South Dakota area creating icy roadways. One fatality has been reported per the South Dakota Highway Patrol and multiple other car crashes have occurred in and around the city.
An Alberta Clipper is a storm system during the winter months that originates from the Canadian province of Alberta (or close by--sometimes this type of system can originate from Saskatchewan, Manitoba or even Montana). The type of storm is a low-pressure, quick-moving system that develops on the lee side of the Canadian Rockies, gets caught up in the jet stream and travels southeastward into the northern Plains, on through the Great Lakes and eventually off the mid-Atlantic coast into the Atlantic Ocean.
This clipper system dipped southward out of Canada into the northern Plains, bringing snow to places like Bismarck on Tuesday, and southeastward to Aberdeen, South Dakota. Due to the fast pace and limited moisture, a general coating to an inch of snow was expected to accumulate across the region.
An Earthcam situated in Gaylord, Michigan, about a three-hour drive north of Detroit, captured a wintry scene on Tuesday as snow fell.
Overnight Tuesday, snow continued to spread eastward into the Midwest. The steadiest of snow fell across southern Minnesota into south-central Wisconsin.
Several observations of 3 to 5 inches of snow were reported near La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Steadier snow will spread into the Lower Peninsula of Michigan during the day on Wednesday. The steadiest of snow is expected to remain north of the Interstate-96 corridor, leaving places like Grand Rapids, Lansing and Kalamazoo with little to no snowfall accumulation during the day.
"Roadways and interstates can still become snow-covered and slippery through Wednesday. Travelers on interstates 94 and 96 may need to allow for extra time for the drive." AccuWeather Meteorologist Kyle Elliot said.
"Visibility will likely be reduced due to falling snow as well," Elliot added.
Farther north in Michigan, a general 1-3 inches of snow can be expected for places like Ludington, Mount Pleasant and even Houghton Lake, as the Clipper passes through on Wednesday.
As the clipper system tracks eastward Wednesday night, moisture from a storm system to the south will begin to encroach as the main area of snow shifts into southern Ontario. However, the extra moisture may also allow for some snow showers to linger across southern Michigan and northern Illinois.
Residents in places like Chicago and Milwaukee and the surrounding suburbs may need to allow some extra time for their Thursday morning commute to brush a coating of snow off of the car and watch for some slick spots on the roadways.
All eyes will then begin to focus on the Northeast and the potential for the first widespread accumulating snow of the season as the clipper system combines with a storm system to the south.
In the wake of the departed clipper system across the Midwest and Plains, a surge of cold air will infiltrate the Midwest as a cold Canadian high-pressure area settles in to end the week.
Download the free AccuWeather app to see the latest forecast for your region. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Weather News
Alberta Clipper unleashing snow across the Dakotas and into the Great Lakes region
By Brandon Buckingham, AccuWeather Meteorologist
Published Nov 5, 2019 10:19 AM EDT
The unsettled weather pattern is set to continue across the Plains and Great Lakes as an Alberta Clipper system tracks through the region through Wednesday.
The storm system will be a quick hitter across the region, and with limited moisture in place, snowfall totals are not expected to amount to much by Midwestern standards. However, snow as well as a few pockets of freezing rain will fall in some areas to create slick travel conditions.
Late Tuesday evening, light freezing rain began wreaking havoc around the Sioux Falls, South Dakota area creating icy roadways. One fatality has been reported per the South Dakota Highway Patrol and multiple other car crashes have occurred in and around the city.
An Alberta Clipper is a storm system during the winter months that originates from the Canadian province of Alberta (or close by--sometimes this type of system can originate from Saskatchewan, Manitoba or even Montana). The type of storm is a low-pressure, quick-moving system that develops on the lee side of the Canadian Rockies, gets caught up in the jet stream and travels southeastward into the northern Plains, on through the Great Lakes and eventually off the mid-Atlantic coast into the Atlantic Ocean.
This clipper system dipped southward out of Canada into the northern Plains, bringing snow to places like Bismarck on Tuesday, and southeastward to Aberdeen, South Dakota. Due to the fast pace and limited moisture, a general coating to an inch of snow was expected to accumulate across the region.
An Earthcam situated in Gaylord, Michigan, about a three-hour drive north of Detroit, captured a wintry scene on Tuesday as snow fell.
Overnight Tuesday, snow continued to spread eastward into the Midwest. The steadiest of snow fell across southern Minnesota into south-central Wisconsin.
Several observations of 3 to 5 inches of snow were reported near La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Steadier snow will spread into the Lower Peninsula of Michigan during the day on Wednesday. The steadiest of snow is expected to remain north of the Interstate-96 corridor, leaving places like Grand Rapids, Lansing and Kalamazoo with little to no snowfall accumulation during the day.
"Roadways and interstates can still become snow-covered and slippery through Wednesday. Travelers on interstates 94 and 96 may need to allow for extra time for the drive." AccuWeather Meteorologist Kyle Elliot said.
"Visibility will likely be reduced due to falling snow as well," Elliot added.
Farther north in Michigan, a general 1-3 inches of snow can be expected for places like Ludington, Mount Pleasant and even Houghton Lake, as the Clipper passes through on Wednesday.
As the clipper system tracks eastward Wednesday night, moisture from a storm system to the south will begin to encroach as the main area of snow shifts into southern Ontario. However, the extra moisture may also allow for some snow showers to linger across southern Michigan and northern Illinois.
Residents in places like Chicago and Milwaukee and the surrounding suburbs may need to allow some extra time for their Thursday morning commute to brush a coating of snow off of the car and watch for some slick spots on the roadways.
All eyes will then begin to focus on the Northeast and the potential for the first widespread accumulating snow of the season as the clipper system combines with a storm system to the south.
In the wake of the departed clipper system across the Midwest and Plains, a surge of cold air will infiltrate the Midwest as a cold Canadian high-pressure area settles in to end the week.
Related:
Download the free AccuWeather app to see the latest forecast for your region. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo