Old Man Winter to tighten grip on Midwest, Great Lakes
By
Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Updated Feb 6, 2021 6:48 AM EST
Rolling waves hit the frigid shores of Lake Michigan in Indiana Dunes State Park on Jan. 31. It caused boulders of ice to form just outside of Chesterton, Indiana.
Old Man Winter is ready to utilize everything in his tool belt through next week as persistent rounds of frigid air, gusty winds and snow target the northern United States.
The first wave of noticeably colder air and blustery conditions reached the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes, including major cities like Minneapolis and Detroit, during Friday morning. Temperatures dipped into the single digits Fahrenheit in Minneapolis and the teens in Detroit.
However, additional waves of Arctic air will hit the region through at least the end of next week will be colder. Each will reinforce the cold air and keep it in place.
This Arctic blast of cold will be a big contrast from the "feeling" so far this winter, which has been, on average, milder than usual. Many cities have averaged about 5 degrees above normal since Dec. 1, such as Chicago and Minneapolis, while others, such as Sioux Falls, South Dakota, have averaged 8.7 degrees above normal during that time.
The brutal cold holding across the region will provide more opportunities for snow, and the current weather pattern suggests there could be several storms.
"Through mid-February, the persistent cold and rounds of snow will finally make it look and feel like the dead of winter at the same time," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
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The next wave of snow is likely to start in Nebraska later on Saturday before streaking through the Midwest and into western New York and New England later in the weekend.
The storm is less likely to strengthen during its journey, meaning most areas are likely to get just a few inches of snow. Even a couple of inches of snow can lead to slippery road conditions and travel delays.
This storm track is likely to repeat itself several times through the middle of next week. In fact, the next storm could bring snow to parts of South Dakota and Nebraska before the weekend is over, with another right on its heels early next week.
"Without a break from the below-freezing temperatures, snow will not have the opportunity to melt. Instead, the snow from each storm will just pile on top of the last round," added Sosnowski.
People will need to take care when going out and about.
“The conditions can make for not only hazardous driving, but walking can be dangerous as well as some property owners will have a difficult time trying to remove the snow before it becomes hard-packed or transitions to ice. It’s a recipe for slip-and-fall incidents.” Sosnowski explained.
After several rounds of snow and virtually no melting, snow totals after several storms could surpass the 6-inch mark and even approach a foot.
These quick-moving storms when combined with cold air and gusty winds are forecast to create just the right ingredients for additional serious snow downwind of the Great Lakes. Some locations in Michigan, Pennsylvania and New York will get snow from both these storms as well as some lake-effect snow, with several feet forecast to pile up in some locations by Valentine's Day weekend.
While much of the region shivered on Friday, a storm lingering in southern Ontario was already contributing to locally intense lake-effect snow. Up to a couple of feet can pile up on the eastern flanks of the lakes into Saturday night alone.
Courtesy of persistent lake-effect snow showers, there have been numerous reports of nearly 10 inches of fresh snowfall already in and around the Grand Rapids, Michigan area between Friday and Friday night.
In some years, frequent blasts of cold air move through the Great Lakes early in the winter. This allows Lake Erie, the shallowest of the Great Lakes, to be completely frozen over by February.
However, this season has been different. In fact, only 20% of Lake Erie was covered in ice as of Feb. 3.
"Without the higher coverage of ice over the Great Lakes, more moisture is able to transfer from the lakes to the atmosphere, allowing persistent lake-effect snow bands to form," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Adam Sadvary.
While lake-effect snow bands tend to shift around slightly with the wind direction, they can also stay rather stationary, which on occasion can result in feet of snow.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, Fubo, and Verizon Fios.
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News / Winter Weather
Old Man Winter to tighten grip on Midwest, Great Lakes
By Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Updated Feb 6, 2021 6:48 AM EST
Rolling waves hit the frigid shores of Lake Michigan in Indiana Dunes State Park on Jan. 31. It caused boulders of ice to form just outside of Chesterton, Indiana.
Old Man Winter is ready to utilize everything in his tool belt through next week as persistent rounds of frigid air, gusty winds and snow target the northern United States.
The first wave of noticeably colder air and blustery conditions reached the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes, including major cities like Minneapolis and Detroit, during Friday morning. Temperatures dipped into the single digits Fahrenheit in Minneapolis and the teens in Detroit.
However, additional waves of Arctic air will hit the region through at least the end of next week will be colder. Each will reinforce the cold air and keep it in place.
This Arctic blast of cold will be a big contrast from the "feeling" so far this winter, which has been, on average, milder than usual. Many cities have averaged about 5 degrees above normal since Dec. 1, such as Chicago and Minneapolis, while others, such as Sioux Falls, South Dakota, have averaged 8.7 degrees above normal during that time.
The brutal cold holding across the region will provide more opportunities for snow, and the current weather pattern suggests there could be several storms.
"Through mid-February, the persistent cold and rounds of snow will finally make it look and feel like the dead of winter at the same time," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
The next wave of snow is likely to start in Nebraska later on Saturday before streaking through the Midwest and into western New York and New England later in the weekend.
The storm is less likely to strengthen during its journey, meaning most areas are likely to get just a few inches of snow. Even a couple of inches of snow can lead to slippery road conditions and travel delays.
This storm track is likely to repeat itself several times through the middle of next week. In fact, the next storm could bring snow to parts of South Dakota and Nebraska before the weekend is over, with another right on its heels early next week.
"Without a break from the below-freezing temperatures, snow will not have the opportunity to melt. Instead, the snow from each storm will just pile on top of the last round," added Sosnowski.
People will need to take care when going out and about.
“The conditions can make for not only hazardous driving, but walking can be dangerous as well as some property owners will have a difficult time trying to remove the snow before it becomes hard-packed or transitions to ice. It’s a recipe for slip-and-fall incidents.” Sosnowski explained.
After several rounds of snow and virtually no melting, snow totals after several storms could surpass the 6-inch mark and even approach a foot.
Related:
These quick-moving storms when combined with cold air and gusty winds are forecast to create just the right ingredients for additional serious snow downwind of the Great Lakes. Some locations in Michigan, Pennsylvania and New York will get snow from both these storms as well as some lake-effect snow, with several feet forecast to pile up in some locations by Valentine's Day weekend.
While much of the region shivered on Friday, a storm lingering in southern Ontario was already contributing to locally intense lake-effect snow. Up to a couple of feet can pile up on the eastern flanks of the lakes into Saturday night alone.
Courtesy of persistent lake-effect snow showers, there have been numerous reports of nearly 10 inches of fresh snowfall already in and around the Grand Rapids, Michigan area between Friday and Friday night.
In some years, frequent blasts of cold air move through the Great Lakes early in the winter. This allows Lake Erie, the shallowest of the Great Lakes, to be completely frozen over by February.
However, this season has been different. In fact, only 20% of Lake Erie was covered in ice as of Feb. 3.
"Without the higher coverage of ice over the Great Lakes, more moisture is able to transfer from the lakes to the atmosphere, allowing persistent lake-effect snow bands to form," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Adam Sadvary.
While lake-effect snow bands tend to shift around slightly with the wind direction, they can also stay rather stationary, which on occasion can result in feet of snow.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, Fubo, and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo