Big Story Weather – December 19, 2012
Daily weather forecast and wrap-up provided by redOrbit meteorologist Joshua Kelly.
redOrbit Meteorologist Joshua Kelly
Big Story Weather from December 18: Low pressure along the East Coast has been bringing plenty of showers and colder weather to the region. Also, a snow swath pushed through the Northern Plains yesterday dumping upwards to 4 inches in South Dakota and western Minnesota. Our big winter storm also started to get rolling in the Southwest and this is going to be the big story today.
Weather Outlook for December 19: Low pressure is moving off the coast of Maine, however there will be still some snow showers in the region. The Mid-Atlantic and Southeast will enjoy partly cloudy skies under high pressure. Our new and potent winter storm is taking shape over the Texas Panhandle today and will slowly move towards the Northeast bringing with it severe weather along the south side of the front. Ahead of the cold front there will be plenty of cold air setting the stage for a wintry mix spreading through the region, and on the backside, blizzard warnings are already in place as a region of very heavy snow is going to setup with the potential of seeing 6-14 inches for many places over the Midwest to include Chicago and St. Louis along with Green Bay and portions of Michigan. High pressure over the Southwest will bring partly cloudy skies to the region. Another frontal boundary is pushing on shore over the Northwest which will bring showers and mountain snows. Below is the weather for a few select cities.
Buffalo NY: Mostly Cloudy: 37F
Memphis TN: Mostly Cloudy/Showers: 64F
Chicago IL: Mostly Cloudy/Evening Wintry Mix: 38F
Denver CO: Mostly Cloudy/Snow: 21F
Seattle WA: Cloudy/Showers: 39F
International Weather Outlook for December 19: High pressure over the Koreas will bring partly cloudy skies to the region and this will extend eastward into Japan. High pressure over the Tibetan Plateau will bring partly cloudy skies to the region and this will extend into Eastern China. The monsoonal trough will setup over Southeast Asia bringing heavy rain back to the region. High pressure over Eastern Europe will bring partly cloudy skies. Low pressure to the west of England will bring increased clouds and showers to London. Low pressure moving through the Southern tip will bring cloudy skies and showers to the region. High pressure will shift into Western Australia and will bring partly cloudy skies to the region. Here is the forecast for a few select international cities.
Tokyo Japan: Partly Cloudy with a low near 3C.
Hong Kong China: Partly Cloudy with a low near 11C.
Bangkok Thailand: Mostly Cloudy with a few showers and a low near 24C.
London England: Mostly Cloudy with a low near 5C.
Sydney Australia: Partly Cloudy with a low near 19C.
December 19, 2012 Storm Tracker Update:
Atlantic Basin: Low pressure moving through Eastern Europe will push towards the Middle East. Another strong area of low pressure is moving into England bringing showers and strong winds to the region. Low pressure is moving towards Iceland. Another strong storm system is developing over the Southern Plains and will have huge impacts to portions of the United States bringing some of the heaviest snow in over 2 years to some places.
Eastern Pacific: Low pressure is moving towards the West Coast of Canada with the associated frontal boundary moving through the Pacific Northwest. Another low pressure system is moving towards Southern California. Low pressure is pushing in towards the Central Gulf of Alaska but should remain far enough south in the gulf to have limited impacts on Alaska.
Western Pacific: Two areas of low pressure are well off to the East of Japan and they will be pushing towards the Gulf of Alaska this week. Another area of low pressure is pushing across Central Russia towards Asia and should be into Eastern China later this week. A tropical area of interest is located well east of Guam but does have winds around 15kts and a pressure of 1010mb, this area needs to be watched for potential development.
Indian Ocean: To the southwest of India is a stronger area of low pressure along the monsoonal trough which is bringing showers to the region.
Southern Hemisphere: Tropical Cyclone Evan is now headed towards Auckland NZ, however it continues to weaken with a pressure of 989mb and winds around 45kts this morning. One area of low pressure just moved east of South America and the tip while another area is approaching the area.
Five Day Storm Index Outlook for December 19-23:
Buffalo NY: Impacts will be felt starting later today and carry through the next couple of days. However, as the northerly winds pick up look for the lake effect snows to start kicking in and that will create Severe impacts for the region with heavy accumulating snowfall expected. The period will finish with Moderate impacts.
Memphis TN: A few passing showers on the 20th will bring the region a slight impact.
Chicago IL: Today the rain and freezing rain will move in bringing a moderate impact to the region, followed by moderate snowfall tomorrow and then slowly clearing out.
Denver CO: Blizzard conditions in the region today with Severe Weather impacts followed by slight impacts tomorrow as the system pushes off.
Seattle WA: The region will see some snow mix in with the rain, but for the most part it’s a week of very cold rainfall which puts the region in a slight impact.
Climate Watch for December 14-18:
Buffalo NY: The period started with temps around 7-8 degrees above average followed by a warming with temps rising to around 13-21 degrees above average with a slight cool down on the 18th with temps about 8 degrees above average.
Memphis TN: The period has seen temps about 8-13 degrees above average the past five days.
Chicago IL: The period started with temps around 15 degrees above average followed with a slight cooling as temps fell to around 6-7 degrees above average.
Denver CO: The period started with temps around 3-5 degrees above average and then fell below average by 1 degree before rising back to around 2-9 degrees above average.
Seattle WA: The period has seen temps about 1-5 degrees below average with one day reaching to about 2 degrees above average before falling back to around 6 degrees below average.
Major Weather Impacts Discussion for December 19, 2012:
Day 1-3: The period is going to start with a few lingering snow showers along the extreme Northeast in Maine. High pressure will build in over the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic for today, while a potent winter storm system will begin to take shape over the Southern plains with many regions under winter storm warnings and blizzard warnings in preparation of seeing snowfall that could exceed 6 inches in many places. High pressure in the Southwest will bring nice weather to the region. Another frontal boundary pushing on shore over the Pacific Northwest will bring showers to the region along with mountain snows. The middle of this period we will have ourselves a large area of strong to severe thunderstorms along the cold front and also heavy rain into the Mid-Atlantic with blizzard like conditions in the Great Lakes region. The period will end with major lake effect snows and strong Northwest winds for a large part of the Eastern United States.
Day 4-7: The period will start with the low exiting the Northeast, while high pressure builds in over the Southeast and another area of high pressure over the Southwest. The next frontal system is expected to move on shore over the Pacific Northwest. Christmas Eve we will see another strong area of low pressure pushing into the Great Lakes bringing more rain and snow to the region along with strong thunderstorms to the Gulf Coast. High pressure will slowly build in over the Northern Plains, while another frontal boundary pushes into the Western Rockies. The period is going to end with another developing low pressure area near Brownsville Texas that will push a warm front along the Gulf Coast bringing some cold rain to the region along with snow back in Texas as a strong cold high pressure system will push in from the Northern Plains. Another frontal boundary will hit the West Coast.
Day 8-12: The period will start with our low moving up the East Coast, there will be an area of precipitation on the back side of this system that could put snowfall down on the ground for parts of Louisiana and into Mississippi along with Alabama. Looks like right now the rain/snow line will setup about 5 miles north of the coastline in Mississippi and Alabama along with heavy rain in Florida. The strong high pressure will keep pushing in from the Northern Plains. The frontal boundary along the West Coast will continue to bring rain and mountain snows to the region. The middle of this period we will have a huge weather system along the East Coast bringing heavy snow, rain and thunderstorms to the region along with light snow over Northern Alabama and Georgia during this time. The high pressure will be pushing into the Great Lakes, while another low pressure system will develop in the Southwest during this time.
Day 13-15: The period will being with the low pressure over the extreme Northeast while a very strong area of cold air associated with the high will push in over the majority of the Plains southward into the Great Lakes and Southeast. Another weak frontal boundary will push into the West Coast during this time. The period is going to end with yet another major weather system impacting the middle part of the United States with heavy rains, snows, and severe weather.
Today’s Spotlight Forecast is for Baltimore MD:
Wednesday: Mostly Cloudy with showers and a high near 56F, winds from the Northwest around 5-10mph as overnight lows fall to around 36F.
Thursday: Mostly Cloudy with showers and cooler with a high near 50F, winds from the Southeast around 12-17mph as overnight lows fall to around 33F.
Friday: Mostly Cloudy with areas of Rain/Snow mixing together early then becoming partly cloudy with a high near 46F, winds will be from the West around 18-23mph and overnight lows will fall to around 30F.
Saturday: Partly Cloudy and cool with a high near 48F, winds from the Northwest around 12-17mph as overnight lows fall to around 33F.
Sunday: Partly cloudy and cool with a high near 44F, winds from the Northeast will be around 5-10mph as overnight lows fall to around 30F.
Ask The Weatherman for December 19:
Question: Are there two Tornado Alley areas in the United States?
Answer: Excellent question from a Facebook fan this morning. The answer is yes. We have the Tornado Alley in the Plains, but we also have what is known as Dixie Alley. The Plains region encompasses Texas northward into South Dakota, while the Dixie Alley encompasses Northern Mississippi and Northern Alabama along with parts of Georgia.
*** To have your question of the day answered or have your city spotlighted for the day make sure to visit redOrbit on Facebook. ***
Green Energy Weather Report for December 19:
Wave Energy: The front moving up the East Coast will bring some moderate wave energy to the region. The winds will start to bring bigger waves to the Northern Gulf over the next few days. The frontal boundary along the Pacific Northwest will have good wave energy with it as well.
Solar Energy: The Southeast and into the Mid-Atlantic will be our best solar energy locations for the day.
Wind Energy: The Pacific Northwest with the frontal boundary will create a wide area of wind energy. Another area will develop behind our strong frontal boundary in the Southern Rockies and into the Southern Plains.
Hydro-Energy: The Pacific Northwest will continue to add to the rainfall and snow pack for great hydro energy now and the long term. The storm system moving through the Southern Rockies and Plains today will add both rainfall for the short term and snow pack for the long term. A region of snow pack will develop along Maine.
December 19 Weather and Your Wallet (Chicago IL):
Dining: This morning will be the best time to get out for breakfast at your favorite diner or bistro. However, it will be cold as the afternoon goes on so expect conditions to get worse.
Transportation: This morning commute will not be bad, but by this afternoon and evening things will get really tough as we will see rain/ice start during the afternoon and possibly becoming all snow by the overnight hours. If you have to travel after 6pm use extreme caution and give the snow plows room in the morning to clear some areas that might get heavy snowfall like the Northwest suburbs of the area.
Shopping: It will not be the best day to go shopping as many weather elements will impact the region.
Electricity: A cold day is going to lead to big heating needs around 28.5, but that is not going to be the only problem. If the ice develops in the region we could be dealing with power issues through the night as well as ice that could potentially accumulate in some areas.
Agriculture: Farmers will need to get ready to clear snow from their lots because by tomorrow some places in the area could see up to 6 inches.
Construction: A very cold and bad day for outdoor construction with the rain starting later this morning.
Outdoor Venues: A good day to reschedule outdoor venues, especially this afternoon when the weather will become cold and rainy along with ice and snow mixing in.
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2012-12-19 17:07:59
Source: http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112751055/big-story-weather-121912/
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