Sunday, October 27, 2013

Halloween Week Snowstorm for West, Northern Plains

This has already been a rather eventful October as far as winter storms are concerned.
First, Winter Storm Atlas buried parts of the northern High Plains of the western Dakotas, Wyoming and western Nebraska with heavy, wet snow crippling travel and snapping trees and powerlines. 
Then, this week, several locations from Upper Midwest to the Appalachians picked up their first measurable snow of the season.
Now, the last week of October brings yet another winter storm. Let's detail what we know now regarding this developing storm system.
Background

Monday's Forecast

Monday's Forecast
Background

Tuesday's Forecast

Tuesday's Forecast
Background

Snowfall Forecast

Snowfall Forecast

Mountains First

Sunday into Monday, an Arctic cold front will plunge southward from the Canadian Rockies and Prairies into the northern Rockies and Plains. Very strong high pressure will build southward behind the front, while at the same time strong low pressure develops over southern Idaho, northern Nevada and northern Utah.
The difference between these two pressure centers will lead to a region of very strong and locally damaging winds across the northern Rockies. Especially where channeled by local terrain, winds could gust over 60 mph in some locations.
In addition, strong gusty winds can be expected over the mountains of California on the back side (west side) of the low pressure system. The highest elevations could see gusts over 70 mph.
Accompanied by a vigorous upper-air disturbance eventually closing off into an upper low over the Great Basin, snow will spread into the interior Northwest, northern Rockies, adjacent High Plains and parts of the Great Basin and Sierra Nevada.
In the snowfall map at right, the heaviest accumulations over the next 48 hours should occur in parts of western and central Montana and the mountains of northern Wyoming. Some moderate accumulations are also expected in western South Dakota, but nothing even remotely resembling what Winter Storm Atlas brought.

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