Late-week snowstorm to bring abrupt end to warmth in Midwest
By
Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Dec 7, 2020 5:29 PM EDT
|
Updated Dec 8, 2020 3:52 PM EDT
Forecasters are warning residents of the north-central United States not to let their guard down. Record-challenging warmth will make it feel more like late October rather than a couple of weeks away from the start of winter this week, but that will change as a winterlike storm is expected to develop and bring the mild spell of weather to an abrupt end. The storm is expected to unleash snow, rain and strong winds across parts of the central United States, but the exact strength and track of the storm will determine how intense conditions become and which areas will get a dose of wintry weather.
The storm will first trigger an area of rain and mountain snow over the interior Southwest at midweek. It will also help to spawn high winds in California along with a heightened wildfire risk for portions of the state.
As the storm spreads farther east late this week, its impacts will coincide with part of Hanukkah, which begins on Thursday evening. Travel disruptions are possible with the potential for accumulating snow in cities such as Minneapolis; Omaha, Nebraska; Des Moines, Iowa; Chicago and Milwaukee, depending on the path and intensity of the system.
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"At this early stage, it seems, regardless of the storm track and strength, areas from northern Wisconsin to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan are most likely to receive significant snow," AccuWeather Meteorologist Matt Benz said.
Communities that lie in this zone of the Upper Midwest could pick up locally heavy snowfall from the storm and/or lake-effect snowfall that is predicted to follow.
The track of the storm will depend on how quickly the storm comes together and strengthens. If the storm quickly gathers steam, it would tend to take a track farther to the west and north than if the storm slowly develops and strengthens.
Moderate to heavy snowfall is most likely to begin over northeastern Nebraska and extend northeastward through central Minnesota, northwestern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, if the storm quickly develops and strengthens. In this scenario, cities such as Norfolk, Nebraska; Minneapolis and Duluth, Minnesota; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Eau Claire, Wisconsin; and Ironwood, Michigan; would likely pick up enough snow to shovel and plow.
A stronger storm would also spawn strong and gusty winds across a broad area of the Central states, especially around the Ohio Valley, Great Lakes and upper Mississippi Valley late in the week.
On the other hand, a slowly organizing and strengthening storm would be likely to bring less intense precipitation and weaker winds initially.
In the scenario that a weaker storm takes shape, snow would likely be lighter and more spread out across the Plains and the Upper Midwest, rather than heavy precipitation falling across a narrow zone. Chicago and Milwaukee would have a better chance of getting some snow during the latter part of the storm, and slippery conditions would be possible over the weekend.
A pool of moist, chilly air might even settle eastward through part of the Ohio Valley and lower Great Lakes region in this case with intermittent snow possible in Detroit, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Pittsburgh later in the weekend.
Winds would gradually increase if the slowly strengthening storm scenario pans out, but blustery conditions are still likely to evolve around the Midwest during the weekend.
Ahead of the storm, a warmup is gripping the Rockies and is forecast to spread eastward across the Plains and into the Midwest through Thursday. Even though the storm is forecast to tap into colder air and produce a broadening stripe of snow as it develops, the warmer air will add a layer of complexity to the progression from rain to snow, even on the colder, northwestern flank of the storm. Some of the storm's moisture could be spent in the form of rain rather than snow, so the timing on when precipitation will change over will play a role in total accumulations.
As the storm spins northward into Ontario and northwestern Quebec, a new dose of blustery and cold conditions are forecast to sweep from the Midwest to the central and northern Appalachians, Northeast and mid-Atlantic regions early next week. The cold air pouring across the mild waters of the Great Lakes will help to set off another round of lake-effect snowfall over areas downwind of the lakes.
"Lake-effect snow would closely follow the departure of the storm as colder air sweeps in across the Great Lakes, but exactly where the heaviest bands of snow would set up and linger for hours, other than in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and northern Wisconsin, are questionable this far out," Benz said.
The late-week storm in the North Central states will be one in a series of winterlike storms to affect the region in the final weeks of autumn. A storm that struck in late November and early December unleashed wintry weather from Kentucky to Ohio, eastern Indiana and southeastern Michigan. Many areas were blanketed by a few inches of snow, but more than a foot of snow piled up in northeastern Ohio.
Minneapolis experienced three significant snowfalls thus far this autumn, bringing an above-average seasonal total of 18.3 inches. In comparison, the average snowfall through Dec. 7 is 12.3 inches. AccuWeather users can track expected snowfall totals this week by checking WinterCast for Minneapolis. Snowfall in Chicago, on the other hand, is slightly behind the average pace. Only 0.7 of an inch of snow has fallen thus far, compared to a normal of 2.7 inches to date.
Visit the AccuWeather Winter Weather Center for all winter weather-related news and information to keep you prepared. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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News / Winter Weather
Late-week snowstorm to bring abrupt end to warmth in Midwest
By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Dec 7, 2020 5:29 PM EDT | Updated Dec 8, 2020 3:52 PM EDT
Forecasters are warning residents of the north-central United States not to let their guard down. Record-challenging warmth will make it feel more like late October rather than a couple of weeks away from the start of winter this week, but that will change as a winterlike storm is expected to develop and bring the mild spell of weather to an abrupt end. The storm is expected to unleash snow, rain and strong winds across parts of the central United States, but the exact strength and track of the storm will determine how intense conditions become and which areas will get a dose of wintry weather.
The storm will first trigger an area of rain and mountain snow over the interior Southwest at midweek. It will also help to spawn high winds in California along with a heightened wildfire risk for portions of the state.
As the storm spreads farther east late this week, its impacts will coincide with part of Hanukkah, which begins on Thursday evening. Travel disruptions are possible with the potential for accumulating snow in cities such as Minneapolis; Omaha, Nebraska; Des Moines, Iowa; Chicago and Milwaukee, depending on the path and intensity of the system.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
"At this early stage, it seems, regardless of the storm track and strength, areas from northern Wisconsin to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan are most likely to receive significant snow," AccuWeather Meteorologist Matt Benz said.
Communities that lie in this zone of the Upper Midwest could pick up locally heavy snowfall from the storm and/or lake-effect snowfall that is predicted to follow.
The track of the storm will depend on how quickly the storm comes together and strengthens. If the storm quickly gathers steam, it would tend to take a track farther to the west and north than if the storm slowly develops and strengthens.
Moderate to heavy snowfall is most likely to begin over northeastern Nebraska and extend northeastward through central Minnesota, northwestern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, if the storm quickly develops and strengthens. In this scenario, cities such as Norfolk, Nebraska; Minneapolis and Duluth, Minnesota; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Eau Claire, Wisconsin; and Ironwood, Michigan; would likely pick up enough snow to shovel and plow.
A stronger storm would also spawn strong and gusty winds across a broad area of the Central states, especially around the Ohio Valley, Great Lakes and upper Mississippi Valley late in the week.
On the other hand, a slowly organizing and strengthening storm would be likely to bring less intense precipitation and weaker winds initially.
In the scenario that a weaker storm takes shape, snow would likely be lighter and more spread out across the Plains and the Upper Midwest, rather than heavy precipitation falling across a narrow zone. Chicago and Milwaukee would have a better chance of getting some snow during the latter part of the storm, and slippery conditions would be possible over the weekend.
A pool of moist, chilly air might even settle eastward through part of the Ohio Valley and lower Great Lakes region in this case with intermittent snow possible in Detroit, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Pittsburgh later in the weekend.
Winds would gradually increase if the slowly strengthening storm scenario pans out, but blustery conditions are still likely to evolve around the Midwest during the weekend.
Ahead of the storm, a warmup is gripping the Rockies and is forecast to spread eastward across the Plains and into the Midwest through Thursday. Even though the storm is forecast to tap into colder air and produce a broadening stripe of snow as it develops, the warmer air will add a layer of complexity to the progression from rain to snow, even on the colder, northwestern flank of the storm. Some of the storm's moisture could be spent in the form of rain rather than snow, so the timing on when precipitation will change over will play a role in total accumulations.
Related:
As the storm spins northward into Ontario and northwestern Quebec, a new dose of blustery and cold conditions are forecast to sweep from the Midwest to the central and northern Appalachians, Northeast and mid-Atlantic regions early next week. The cold air pouring across the mild waters of the Great Lakes will help to set off another round of lake-effect snowfall over areas downwind of the lakes.
"Lake-effect snow would closely follow the departure of the storm as colder air sweeps in across the Great Lakes, but exactly where the heaviest bands of snow would set up and linger for hours, other than in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and northern Wisconsin, are questionable this far out," Benz said.
The late-week storm in the North Central states will be one in a series of winterlike storms to affect the region in the final weeks of autumn. A storm that struck in late November and early December unleashed wintry weather from Kentucky to Ohio, eastern Indiana and southeastern Michigan. Many areas were blanketed by a few inches of snow, but more than a foot of snow piled up in northeastern Ohio.
Minneapolis experienced three significant snowfalls thus far this autumn, bringing an above-average seasonal total of 18.3 inches. In comparison, the average snowfall through Dec. 7 is 12.3 inches. AccuWeather users can track expected snowfall totals this week by checking WinterCast for Minneapolis. Snowfall in Chicago, on the other hand, is slightly behind the average pace. Only 0.7 of an inch of snow has fallen thus far, compared to a normal of 2.7 inches to date.
Visit the AccuWeather Winter Weather Center for all winter weather-related news and information to keep you prepared. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo