Big Story Weather – December 12, 2012
Daily weather forecast and wrap-up provided by redOrbit meteorologist Joshua Kelly.
redOrbit Meteorologist Joshua Kelly
Big Story Weather from December 11: Yesterday, we saw more showers along the Gulf Coast with the majority of them moving through Florida and extreme Southern Louisiana. The West Coast, especially the Northwest, saw more rain and mountain snows. The south saw many Freeze Warnings as the cold air sank into the region with many temps falling into the 20’s last night.
Weather Outlook for December 12: High pressure will push into the lower Ohio River Valley bringing partly cloudy skies to the East Coast and back into the Midwest and Gulf Coast region. Low pressure moving through the Northern Rockies will bring showers and snow showers to Montana along with the cold front. Expect to see showers back into California along with some snow showers in higher elevations of Nevada. Below is the weather for a few select cities.
Baltimore MD: Partly Cloudy: 42F
Tampa Bay FL: Mostly Cloudy with Showers: 78F
Minneapolis MN: Partly Cloudy: 35F
Denver CO: Partly Cloudy: 50F
Portland OR: Partly Cloudy with Evening Showers: 44F
International Weather Outlook for December 12: High pressure over Eastern China will bring partly cloudy skies to the region and this will spread into the Koreas and also over Japan. High pressure over the Tibetan Plateau will bring partly cloudy skies to the majority of Southeast Asia. A weak area of low pressure moving through Eastern Europe will bring a few snow showers to parts of Germany. High pressure over the Alps will bring partly cloudy skies to Western Europe. A warm front will begin to approach England increasing the clouds. A low pressure well south of the tip of South America will bring showers to the region. A frontal boundary will be moving through the Central part of Australia bringing shows to the region and these will extend into Southeast Australia. A secondary low will be bringing showers to Western Australia. Here is the forecast for a few select international cities.
Tokyo Japan: Partly Cloudy with a low near 2C.
Hong Kong China: Partly Cloudy with a low near 20C.
Singapore: Partly Cloudy with a low near 24C.
Brussels Germany: Partly Cloudy with a few snow showers and a low near -3C.
Perth Australia: Partly Cloudy with a few thunderstorms and a low near 15C.
December 12, 2012 Storm Tracker Update:
Atlantic Basin: Low pressure moving through Central Europe is bringing some snow showers to the region. Low pressure moving through Greenland is bringing increased winds and seas along with some snow to the region. Low pressure moving towards Africa will bring some showers to the Cape Verde Islands over the next 24hrs. A developing low pressure moving through the Northern Gulf of Mexico will bring showers to Florida and parts of the Southeast today.
Eastern Pacific: Low pressure is moving through the Central Gulf of Alaska today bringing increased winds and seas to the region.
Western Pacific: Low pressure pushing east of Japan will make its way into the Gulf of Alaska over the next couple of days. Low pressure moving through Central Russia will bring a few snow showers to the region as it moves towards the East.
Indian Ocean: An area of stronger convection is located to the southwest of India this morning.
Southern Hemisphere: Tropical Cyclone Evan is currently near the island of Pago Pago bringing strong winds and rain along with storm surge to the area as winds are estimated to be around 40kts with a pressure of 993mb. This system will continue to strengthen over the next couple of days. Low pressure to the Southeast of South America will bring a few showers back to the region as it moves eastward. Low pressure is moving through Central Australia bringing with it plenty of rain and thunderstorms to the region. Tropical Cyclone Claudia is moving slowly towards the South and as of this morning has winds around 50kts with a pressure of 985mb. It will continue to weaken and move southward towards colder waters.
Five Day Storm Index Outlook for December 12-16:
Baltimore MD: The period will be under high pressure which will keep it impact free for the period.
Tampa FL: Today a few showers and thunderstorms will move through giving the area a slight impact. After that high pressure will keep the rest of the period impact free.
Minneapolis MN: A nice start to the period with no impacts forecasted. However, by the 15th, a chance of some light snow moving through will bring a slight impact to the region.
Denver CO: A quiet week in store with no major impacts forecasted for the region.
Portland OR: A period of showers later this afternoon will bring the area under a slight impact. Tomorrow conditions will be nice with no impacts, however the next frontal boundary will move in and the impacts will return to slight for the remainder of the period.
Climate Watch for December 7-11:
Baltimore MD: The period started with temps around 1-2 degrees above average and then warmed to about 3-6 degrees above average and further warming to around 13-15 degrees above average.
Tampa Bay FL: Temps started about 3-6 degrees above average and then remained around 4 degrees above average for the remainder of the period.
Minneapolis MN: The period started with temps near 2-4 degrees above average and then they fell to around 3-9 degrees below average to finish the period out.
Denver CO: The period started with temps around 9-10 degrees above average and then fell to around 18 degrees below average, however finished the period around 3-4 degrees below average.
Portland OR: The period started with temps around 1-3 degrees above average and then a spike in warmth pushed the temps to about 6 degrees above average followed by a cool down with temps around 1 degree above average.
Major Weather Impacts Discussion for December 12, 2012:
Day 1-3: High pressure over the Ohio River Valley will bring nice conditions to the region and this will extend into the Northeast along with the Plains region. A low pressure area will be moving through the Southeast and Northern Florida bringing showers and thunderstorms to the region. High pressure over the Southwest will slowly give away to another new low pressure system that is making its way down the California coast today. The middle of the period high pressure will be along the East Coast expanding back into the Plains and Southeast. A developing low pressure will be moving into Arizona during this time bringing snow to the mountains and rain to the lower elevations. A low pressure will be moving towards Seattle increasing showers and mountain snows to the region. The period will finish with the low moving out into the Central Plains.
Day 4-7: The period will begin with the low moving into the Great Lakes bringing rain and snow to the region. High pressure will be back over the Plains, while the frontal boundary begins to push on shore over the Northwest. The middle of this period will have a low pushing off the East Coast along with a new developing low over the Southern Plains bringing showers and thunderstorms to the region. High pressure will be over the Southwest as the frontal boundary continues to push moisture into the Pacific Northwest.
Day 8-12: The period will begin with a strong low moving up the East Coast with plenty of rain and snow for the region. High pressure will be over the Great Lakes extending down towards the Gulf Coast. Another low will be developing in the Colorado Rockies and slowly push into the Plains. A weak ridge will set up over the West Coast allowing for a break in moisture. The middle of the period will have some strong winds along with showers and snow showers impacting the Northeast. A frontal boundary will begin to develop along the Gulf Coast, while a very strong 1046mb high begins to push in over the Northern Rockies and Plains section bringing some very cold air to the region. Another frontal boundary will begin to push towards the West Coast. The interaction with the high to the east and the low to the west will put the West Coast into some very strong winds and possible increased fire danger for the Southwest region around LA.
Day 13-15: The period will begin with Lake effect snows looking very possible along with the weak frontal boundary pushing off the East Coast as a very strong high pressure system moves into the Plains and towards the Gulf Coast bringing some very cold air to the region. Low pressure will begin to push on shore over the West Coast. The middle of the period will still have some lake effect snows along the Eastern Lakes while high pressure will be over the Ohio River Valley extending into the Mid-Atlantic. A strong low pressure system will be pushing into the Texas Panhandle bringing showers and thunderstorms to the region. Another area of high pressure will be moving into the Northern Rockies a large area of precipitation will setup from the Colorado Rockies into the Northern Plains and there will be wide swath of snow. Another strong low pressure system will be pushing towards Southern California. The middle of this period we will be dealing with some major snows across the Midwest for places like Chicago and Detroit. Thunderstorms have to potential to become severe along the Gulf Coast. A 1038mb high will be pushing into the Northern Rockies and Plains, while the low begins to push onshore over Southern California.
Today’s Spotlight Forecast is for Salt Lake City UT:
Wednesday: Partly Cloudy and cool with a high near 38F, winds from the Southeast around 8-13mph as overnight lows fall to around 28F.
Thursday: Mostly Cloudy with Showers and a high near 37F, winds from the Southeast around 5-10mph as overnight lows fall to around 23F.
Friday: Mostly Cloudy with a Rain/Snow mix as high temps hit near 36F, winds from the Southeast around 2-7mph with overnight lows around 30F.
Saturday: Mostly Cloudy with periods of heavy snow as high temps rise to around 33F, winds will be from the South around 5-10mph as overnight lows fall to around 27F.
Sunday: Mostly Cloudy with periods of snow as high temps rise to around 31F, winds will be from the Southwest around 2-7mph as overnight lows fall to around 26F.
Ask The Weatherman for December 12:
Question: What are frontal thunderstorms?
Answer: Great Question today comes to us from San Diego CA. Frontal thunderstorms form ahead of cold fronts mostly, but we can further examine them as certain types of thunderstorms such as multi-cell thunderstorms which mean more than one cell together. Another type is the Super-cell thunderstorms, which are the most severe ones and are responsible for the majority of the tornadoes.
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Green Energy Weather Report for December 12:
Wave Energy: A low pressure moving across Florida will bring increased wave action to the Eastern Shores of the region.
Solar Energy: High pressure over the Ohio River Valley will bring nice weather to the Mid-Atlantic. The Southern Plains and Northern Plains will also have good solar energy today. The Southwest will also be another good place for solar energy today.
Wind Energy: The southeast behind the low will see stronger winds which will support wind energy. Another spot will be back along the Pacific Northwest ahead of the next frontal boundary.
Hydro-Energy: This morning Florida and parts of the Southeast will be good sources for hydro energy as the showers and thunderstorms move through the region. The Pacific Northwest will see showers and snow showers increase throughout the day which will help bring more hydro energy to the region.
December 12 Weather and Your Wallet (Sioux City IA):
Dining: A tad on the chilly side today so if you plan on going to the park or an outdoor restaurant you will want a winter jacket.
Transportation: A nice day for driving. However, if you do have a high profile vehicle, be careful for the stronger winds.
Shopping: A cold day but with a winter jacket it will be a nice shopping day.
Electricity: The cold weather will mean that plenty of heating will be needed for today with periods reaching close to a total of 28.0HDD’s.
Agriculture: No issues as the crops are out in the region and the winter kill has occurred already.
Construction: A nice day but make sure to bundle up if you have to work any of the outdoor road projects.
Outdoor Venues: You will need a jacket for any outdoor adventures today from walking the dog at the park to walking along the Missouri River boardwalk.
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2012-12-12 19:40:28
Source: http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112746820/big-story-weather-121212/
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