Elsewhere in Weather News: March 2nd, 2013

Strong Cyclone Affects Australia, Temperature Records Tallied

This past week a cyclone, Rusty, formed off the coast of north-western Australia and quickly spun into a strong cyclone by Australian standards. The cyclone made landfall as category one by Saffir Simpson Scale standards, (rated category 3 by Australian Bureau of Meterology) and even though it brought hurricane force winds, it affected an area of Australia that is sparsely populated. This meant that not much damage was caused by Rusty and only some overland flooding was reported as well as about a hundred houses without power. As Rusty moved inland, heavy rains and high wind gusts were the main concerns; over 450mm of rain fell and gusts of 150km/h were experienced around and south of the area where Rusty made landfall. Rusty’s quick strengthening off the north-western was aided by unusually warm waters – near 31°C and only about ten knots of shear present at the time.

Rusty Flooding

Flooding in an area just south of where Rusty made landfall. (Source: @Sturap)

This week the Australian Bureau of Meteorology also announced that the warmest summer on record (records since 1910) occurred this past summer. Australia’s average temperature surpassed the normal by 1.1°C and 95% of the country had above average temperatures this summer. Birdsville, Australia which typically has an average high temperature between 35°C and 38°C during summer had 31 consecutive days above 40°C. It has truly been an impressive summer 2012-2013 temperature-wise for Australia!

Average temperature anomalies

Average temperature anomalies for Australia summer 2012-2013. Much of Australia above average. (Souce: BoM)

In other news, another significant blizzard went through the Southern US Plains bringing more short-term drought relief to the area. Some areas in north-western Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle received over 35cm of snow. Blizzard conditions were in place as strong winds and heavy snow fell along the deformation zone of the low pressure system. Almost all roads in the Texas Panhandle were impassable because of large snow drifts, residents were urged to stay home. Weather in the Southern Plains will be fairly calm this weekend and at the start of next week; no significant precipitation accumulation is expected.

Elsewhere in Weather News: February 23rd, 2013

Major Snowstorm Hits US Plains

Another trough digging through the southern half of the US this past week, caused trouble for travellers and residents of the Great Plains. Moist air from the Gulf of Mexico made its way north into Kansas which fell as freezing rain and snow ahead of the warm front. In the warm sector a line of thunderstorms, some severe, formed along the trough line that plowed through part of Texas and Louisiana.

850mb analysis

850mb analysis of early Wednesday morning. Heavy snow was already falling at this time. Highest accumulations circled in pink. (Source: Twisterdata)

Highway conditions quickly deteriorated after snow started falling and 150km of I-70 had to be shut down in Kansas due to many vehicle accidents. This system also prompted the closure of schools, delayed flights at airports or even closed airports such as the Kansas City airport. This same trough is to be blamed for suspending play at the PGA in Marana, Arizona where an uncommon sight could be seen; snow – about 4cm of it, covered luscious greens with cacti nearby in the background.

Snow affecting PGA

PGA golfers leaving the course while it’s snowing. (Source: AP)

Snowfall rates of 3-5cm/h were not uncommon for several hours in Kansas and Nebraska and contributed to significant snow accumulations. Highest accumulations were just below the two foot mark (60cm) in south-central Kansas with a good part of Kansas receiving over 20cm of snowfall. Most of the Southern Plains residents welcome any type of precipitation at this time however due to a severe/extreme drought is currently in place through much of the Plains (as talked about in last week’s EIWN). Last Thursday’s storm should at least make for slight improvements in the short term drought index but for longer range improvements the Plains need to get out of a persisting dry pattern.

Recent model runs show another major snowstorm, with as much as another foot of snow, Sunday night into Monday for the US Plains.

Special: Louis Riel Day 2013 Blizzard

Louis Riel Day was marked this year by a significant blizzard that brought much of the Red River Valley to a standstill. While snowfall was relatively light, with only 5–10cm reported in most localities (although a few pockets of 10–15cm did exist through the Southern portion of the Red River Valley), strong northerly winds that gusted as high as 70–80km/h produced blowing snow that gave whiteout conditions through most of the Valley.

Warm Front on Sunday, February 17

This system was marked by a warm frontal passage on Sunday near noon. Strong southerly winds brought local blowing snow to the region as an area of precipitation blossomed along the warm front. Here in Winnipeg, the precipitation fell as ice pellets first before switching to snow. Further south, a little deeper into the warm air, moderate band of freezing rain developed, coating Steinbach, as well as Highway 1 East, Highway 52 and Highway 59 in a layer of ice.

Freezing Rain in Steinbach 1

Freezing rain accumulating in Steinbach. Credit: @andrewpenner78

After this band went through, then winds slowly died off and we were able to enjoy a relatively nice afternoon. Near Steinbach, however, there were reports of numerous cars in the ditch due to “skating-rink”-like road conditions.

Cold Front and Blizzard, Sunday/Monday February 17/18

The cold front associated with this system passed through Winnipeg between 6–7PM CST; winds switched from southerly to calm to northerly and cloud ceilings rapidly dropped to 300–400 feet and a few hours of freezing drizzle happened in the low-level mixing immediately behind the cold front. By 10:30, winds began to pick up and the freezing drizzle switched over to snow. By midnight, visibilities had dropped to ½SM and would stay there or worse until roughly noon on Monday. To our south, conditions remained practically a white-out for an additional 6–7 hours, with visibilities not lifting above ¾SM until 7PM CST as sustained winds of 50–60km/h battered the area.

24 Hour Rainfall Accumulations

24 Hour Precipitation Accumulations

In total, around 3–6cm fell in Winnipeg, with areas on the south side of the city receiving nearly twice that of the central/northern portion. South of Winnipeg, snowfall amounts were appropriately higher:

  • Winnipeg: 3–6cm
  • Morden: 8cm
  • Morris: 10cm
  • Pinawa: 8cm
  • Steinbach: 11–13cm

As winds abated, colder air began working into the region. The temperatures have been on a downward trend all the way from Monday morning to the time of publishing this; temperatures are beginning to level off at –27°C.

Impacts

Twitter was a great source of information for what was happening during this event; between weather reports flooding in on the MBstorm hashtag and immediate communication about road conditions, it was relatively easy to get a grip on the significance of this system.

Some pictures came in early on Sunday as the band of freezing rain pushed through Steinbach:

Freezing Rain in Steinbach 2

Freezing rain accumulation on a car in Steinbach. Credit: @andrewpenner78

As the winds picked up, blowing snow quickly became the predominant impact over the Red River Valley:

Snow Drifts in Niverville

Snow drifts rapidly growing in Niverville. Credit: @jim_311

Some truly impressive images came out of Winnipeg Beach on Monday morning:

Snow Drifts in Winnipeg Beach

Massive snow drifts in Winnipeg Beach. Credit: @annhogie

Massive Snow Drifts in Winnipeg Beach

Massive snow drifts in Winnipeg Beach. Credit: @annhogie

Massive Snow Drifts in Winnipeg Beach

Massive snow drifts in Winnipeg Beach. Credit: @annhogie

Conditions on highways were fairly brutal on Monday:

Blowing snow on Highway 311

Blowing snow on MB Highway 311. Credit: @jim_311

Blowing snow Near Emerson, MB

Blowing snow in Emerson, MB.

Even within cities in the southern Red River Valley, conditions got quite bad:

Blowing snow in Winkler, MB on Monday morning.

Blowing snow in Winkler, MB on Monday morning.

Many highways were closed for this event:

  • Highway 16 from Hwy. 50 to Hwy. 466
  • Highway 1 West from Portage to Winnipeg
  • Highway 75 from Winnipeg to the US Border; I–29 from the US Border to Grand Forks, ND
  • Highway 5 from Neepawa up to St. Rose.

Numerous traffic accidents occurred as well, keeping the RCMP quite busy:

  • A 10-car pileup occurred in St. Francois Xavier that involved several semi-trucks. No injuries.
  • 3 semi-trailer trucks collided on Highway 1 west of PR 332.
  • Two semis smashed through road barricades in Headingly. A police cruiser was damaged by debris but nobody was hurt.

Perhaps most tragically, one man died in this storm. A 54-year old man was found dead near Landmark. He had left his car after driving into the ditch on road 45N. The road was slippery and visibility was near-zero at the time.

This was a very significant blizzard that had huge impacts on the Red River Valley. Fortunately, residents had plenty of time to prepare as Environment Canada issued special weather statements on Friday morning addressing the potential for a significant blizzard and carried them through to the issuing of warnings.

<

p>If you have any pictures you’d like to share, leave them in the comments below or send them to aweathermoment at shaw dot ca.

Blizzard to Start the Week

Heavy blowing snow will greet residents of the Red River Valley on Monday morning. Calmer, but colder weather is in store after the storm passes.

NAM model predicted weather on Monday morning

Monday

Monday

Blowing snow
-18°C / -28°C

A strong low pressure system has generated heavy blowing snow and blizzard conditions in parts of the Red River Valley on Monday morning. Wind speeds early Monday are in the 40-50km/h gusting to 60-70km/h range across Southern Manitoba. This in combination with a fresh 5-15cm of snow in the region is the obvious cause of the very poor weather conditions. The wind will gradually taper off through the day on Monday, allowing the blizzard to subside as well. However, blowing snow at some level will last through basically the whole day in open country.

Tuesday

Tuesday

Mainly sunny
-22°C / -31°C

Tuesday will be a very cold day, in fact the coldest in quite awhile. Lows on Tuesday morning will be in the upper minus twenties, with highs in the low minus twenties. Wind chill values will be elevated as well, making for a rather unpleasant day.

Wednesday

Wednesday

Mainly sunny
-15°C / -20°C

Wednesday morning will be another cold one, with lows around minus thirty. Daytime highs will moderate somewhat, reaching into the minus teens. However, wind chill values will become an issue again on Wednesday afternoon, probably not what you were hoping to hear.

Long Range

There is no sign of spring in the long range forecast at the moment, but I do know that each passing day is in fact one day closer to spring, whether it feels that way or not.