Winter                                      Waxing Moon of Long Nights

SCATTERED AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF 20 INCHES PROBABLE. THIS EVENT MAY BECOME COMPARABLE TO THE HALLOWEEN SNOW STORM OF 1991

Yes, we have the occasional tornado and derecho.   Those are the most damaging and scary weather phenomena that visit us, wrecking their way through country side and towns and cities.  For the most part though, we do not have an equivalent of the hurricane, the fire storm, earthquake or big floods (with the exception of Red River Valley in the far northwestern part of the state).  The only volcanoes we have in the state are long dead.

We have a mid-continental climate, however, and it can throw some impressive weather our way.  These winter storms* that come at us announce themselves days ahead of time.  The National Weather Service and private meteorologists working for newspapers, TV and radio work hard to keep us informed.

Minnesotans look forward to these kind of storms since thriving during difficult winter weather defines us as a state and a people.  We all have winter storm stories, whereas only a few have tornado or derecho stories.  Our snow removal system, a sophisticated example of good government, copes with whatever comes, but a really big storm like the one whose northern border is now just south of the metro area, can overwhelm them for a time, after all there is a financial and logistical limit to how many snowplows you can deploy.

Right now we’re waiting.  I’ve made a lot of leek and potato and chicken noodle soup.  Went to the grocery store yesterday and have plenty of gas for the snowblower.  We have a four wheel drive vehicle with a low 4WD if we need it.

Let it snow.

*.A MAJOR STORM SYSTEM PRODUCING HEAVY SNOW…POTENTIALLY NEAR RECORD IN SOME LOCATIONS…AND HAVING CONSIDERABLE IMPACTS ON HOLIDAY GROUND AND AIR TRAVEL…WILL BEGIN ACROSS SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL MINNESOTA AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN BY TONIGHT. SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS BY THURSDAY MORNING ARE EXPECTED TO BE BETWEEN TWO AND FIVE INCHES. THE SNOW WILL LAST THROUGH THURSDAY AND CHRISTMAS WITH SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS FORECAST. THESE ACCUMULATIONS WILL LIKELY BE IN EXCESS OF ONE FOOT…WITH 20 INCHES OR MORE IN SOME LOCATIONS.

TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS ARE HIGHLY LIKELY TO EXCEED ONE FOOT OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MINNESOTA AND FAR WESTERN WISCONSIN…WITH SCATTERED AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF 20 INCHES PROBABLE. THIS EVENT MAY BECOME COMPARABLE TO THE HALLOWEEN SNOW STORM OF 1991. GIVEN THE TIMING OF THIS SYSTEM…HOLIDAY ROAD AND AIR TRAVEL WILL BE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED.

A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS. ONLY TRAVEL IN AN EMERGENCY. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL…KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT… FOOD…AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.