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Cold and Quiet End to 2012
Posted by: Paul Douglas Updated: December 28, 2012 - 9:07 PM
Quiet End to 2012
By Todd Nelson
Tis the season to be jolly... and gain 5 pounds. I don't know about you, but between the big dinners and the extra cookies, I can't seem quit. Ah well, might as well enjoy, New Year's resolutions are right around the corner.
Hope you were able to burn off a few extra calories with your light shoveling duties on Friday. Snow blowers may have been a little excessive in this last event, but there were probably a few that wanted to take the gift from Santa out for a spin.
Modified Arctic air has settled in to the Lower 48, the result being an active storm track shoved to the south. Heavier snow chances from Kansas City to New England are likely the next 5 days. If your return trip home takes you south and east through the weekend, expect delays. Air travel at some of the major hubs like DCA, PHL, LGA, EWR and BOS could get a little snarly through Sunday.
Another storm could impact some of these same areas through the New Year, while we sit high and dry. A series of moisture starved clipper systems will sail through our neck of the woods over the next week, each one responsible for brisk wind chills. New Year's Eve night brings sub-zero lows across much of the state. -Todd Nelson
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Todd's Star Tribune Outlook for the Twin Cities and all of Minnesota:
SATURDAY: Clearing trend. High: 18. Winds: West 5-10mph.
SATURDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear and cold. Low: 5.
SUNDAY: Mostly sunny. Breezy south winds, clipper arrives late. High: 23.
NEW YEAR'S EVE: Whiff of wind chill. Closing the books on 2012. Low: 7. High: 12
NEW YEAR'S EVE NIGHT: Cold for the countdown. Low: -3
NEW YEAR'S DAY: Cold start to 2013! High: 14
WEDNESDAY: Continued below average temps. Low: 6. High: 13.
THURSDAY: Few flurries, nothing rough. Low: 0. High: 10.
FRIDAY: Warming to near normal temps. Low: 2. High: 21.
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More on Christmas Tornado Outbreak
Take a look at this surviellance video from a Walgreens store out of Mobile, AL during the Christmas tornado outbreak. I'm SHOCKED that there weren't as many fatalities as there could have been.
Updated Christmas Day Tornado Count
The Storm Prediction Center continues to update the tornado tally from the Christmas Day outbreak. The unfiltered PRELIMINARY reports are now up to 51!
"Nationwide, at least 17 people died because of the ice, snow and wind. Deaths from wind-toppled trees also were reported in Texas and Louisiana, but car crashes caused most of the fatalities."
Read more from HuffingtonPost.com HERE:
2012 Tornado Count
Despite the recent flurry of tornado activity, 2012 will end well below the average annual tornado count. According to the SPC, as of December 27th, there were 1,111 tornado reports nearly 400 below the 7year average of 1530.
Top 10 Tornado Days of 2012
The Storm Prediction Center has a list of the top 10 tornado days of 2012... the most active days was March 2nd when 160 tornadoes were reported (actual 132).
Most Active Severe Weather Days of 2012
The information below from the SPC shows the top 10 most active severe weather days of 2012. Preliminary data from July 1st, 2012 had over 1,000 storm reports, a number that was refined to 737. Intense heat across the mid-section of the nation allowed for severe thunderstorms to develop on its northern periphery. These thunderstorms created long lived straight-line wind producing storms. Look at all the wind damage reports (in blue) from the Great Lakes to Florida! The other BIG day was June 29th.
Canada Blizzard
I thought this was kind of neat, it's a time lapse of a blizzard out of Montreal Canada, which is north of Burlington, VT. This is from the same storm system that produced snow in Texas and the tornado outbreak earlier this week.
Air Travel Troubles?
Another winter storm/system is bearing down on the Northeast through the early weekend. It appears snow amounts won't be quite as dramatic as they were this last week, but this will still be responsible for some travel troubles. The graphic below shows the winter weather headlines that have been posted through the weekend.
Northeast Snow Forecast
According to the RPM model, there is going to be a moderate swath of 2" to 4" with localized areas of 4" to 8" through the weekend.
Saturday Outlook
Here's the weather map for PM Saturday, which shows the center of circulation south of New York, but there will be decent wind and snow across some busy places that may be more than just an inconvenience tro travelers. Moderate to heavy snow totals along with wind gusts close to 30mph will create problems on the ground and by air.
Cold Start to 2013
The forecast calls for a fairly cold star to 2013. Thanks to a big dip in the jet stream, cold air from the Arctic regions will continue to refrigerate much of the Lower 48 through the early part of 2013.
Cold Start to 2013
The extended forecast calls for a fairly cold start to 2013 across much of the nation. Here's a look at the high temperature from normal forecast for Tuesday, January 1st, 2013... Brr!
Ringing in the New Year
If you have plans to be out and about through New Year's Eve night, take a look at the forecast low temperatures for the night... Brr again! Make sure to bring the extra layer along to the ball, you'll need it after the clock strikes midnight otherwise you'll turn into a frozen pumpkin!
Below Normal Temps
The extended forecast for Minneapolis calls for generally below normal temps from the end of December through the first part of January. Temperature may consistently bottom out near the sub-zero mark.
Latest Snow Reports
Here's a list of the latest snow reports from Thursday-Friday. Even though there wasn't much moisture with this system, cold temperatures allowed the snow to really fluff up! Reports of 1" to 3" across the Twin Cities was pretty common.
Thanks for checking in and have a great weekend ahead!
Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @TNelsonWNTV
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