Let it Snow!

Record-setting snowstorms were the topic of conversation in parts of the US this week.

Springtime weather was delayed once again as a significant trough moved across Central US dragging down unseasonably cold arctic air with it. Friday morning, temperatures at 850mb reached below freezing all the way down to Mexico; and snow fell from Northern Ontario all the way down to northern parts of Arkansas and Oklahoma! Many snowfall records were shattered, some of the most significant being:

• Britt, Iowa – Achieved a snow depth of 28cm, beating the old record of 25cm (in 1947).
• Chippewa-Falls/Eau Claire, Wisconsin – Recorded a snowfall of 22cm shattering the old record of 5cm (in 1946).
• Extreme north-west Wisconsin – Recorded a snowfall of 46cm.

The trough will not make it to the East Coast as the main jet stream is retreating north and a cutoff low will form in southern US. This cutoff low is expected to slowly drift across the region feeding into tropical moisture while dropping significant rainfall over parts of the south-east and east-central US. Accumulations of over 80mm are expected, increasing concerns that flash floods might be a problem over the weekend.

In other news, a category one cyclone formed off the north-eastern coast of Australia, however it had minimal impacts on land as it fizzled out and only brought lowland flooding and erosion to coastal areas.

Italy also saw an active week with a large tornado reported in it’s northern region. An approaching shortwave combined with significant instability and sufficient shear on Friday was the cause for severe storms in the area.