Big Story Weather – December 21, 2012
Daily weather forecast and wrap-up provided by redOrbit meteorologist Joshua Kelly.
redOrbit Meteorologist Joshua Kelly
Big Story Weather from December 21: A very strong low pressure system brought heavy snow and very strong wind over a large portion of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin. The strong storm brought a foot of snow to Des Moines, Iowa, and as much as 19 inches to Madison, Wisconsin. The storm system produced wind gusts over 50 miles per hour in several areas. In Chicago, heavy snow and strong wind brought white out conditions and some power outages. Yesterday we also saw an area of severe weather develop in the Southern region of the front along the Gulf Coast with well over 40 wind damage reports and a significant tornado that hit Mobile, Alabama.
Weather Outlook for December 21: Low pressure pushing up the East Coast will bring areas of showers to the coast along with moderate snows on the Northwest side as the lake effect snows will kick in over the Eastern side of the lakes for places like Buffalo NY. High pressure will begin to build in over the Southern Plains this will bring with it clearing skies and very cold weather all the way to the Gulf Coast region. Another area of low pressure will be moving into the Northern Rockies; expect to see some snow develop on the back side of this system as well for places like Boise ID. A third area of low pressure will be moving in towards the West Coast and will increase the showers along the coast along with mountain snows. Below is the weather for a few select cities.
Buffalo NY: Snow: 38F
Gulfport MS: Partly Cloudy: 56F
Sioux Falls SD: Partly Cloudy: 23F
Boise ID: Snow: 44F
Portland OR: Cloudy/Showers: 45F
International Weather Outlook for December 21: Low pressure to the east of Tokyo will bring showers to the capitol and most of the island of Japan. High pressure over Russia will push eastward bringing with it partly cloudy skies to Eastern China and this will move into the Koreas. Low pressure over the Tibetan Plateau will bring some light snow to the higher elevations. Low pressure moving through the Middle East will bring some showers to this region. Low pressure moving towards England will bring showers and cloudy skies to the region. High pressure will bring nice weather to the majority of Australia today with partly cloudy skies and a few places will see mostly cloudy skies. Here is the forecast for a few select international cities.
Tokyo Japan: Showers with a low near 4C.
Hong Kong China: Mostly Cloudy with Showers and a low near 16C.
Singapore: Mostly Cloudy with a few thunderstorms and a low near 24C.
London England: Mostly Cloudy with a few showers and a low near 7C.
Perth Australia: Partly Cloudy with a low near 14C.
December 21, 2012 Storm Tracker Update:
Atlantic Basin: Low pressure moving across the Middle East will bring showers and higher elevation snows to the region. Low pressure over Western Europe will bring showers to the region along with snow showers to Norway and Denmark. Another area of low pressure is moving towards England and will bring showers and cooler weather to the region. A potent low pressure system is moving up the Northeast and will bring snow and rain to the East Coast of the United States.
Eastern Pacific: Low pressure moving along the Canadian West Coast will bring showers to the Pacific Northwest. A weak low pressure system is moving towards the Southern CA region which will bring showers as well. An area of low pressure is beginning to move into the Gulf of Alaska and will bring snow and strong winds to Alaska this weekend.
Western Pacific: An area of low pressure is moving off the coast of Japan bringing showers to the region and snow to Mt. Fuji along with showers for the majority of Eastern Japan. Another area of low pressure is developing to the far east of Japan and will continue to move towards the Gulf of Alaska.
Indian Ocean: The region is tranquil today with no major low pressure systems in the basin.
Southern Hemisphere: An area of low pressure is slowly moving towards the coast of South America and should bring showers to the region by this weekend. Another area of low pressure is to the east of South America and is bringing showers and higher elevation snows to this island region east of South America.
Five Day Storm Index Outlook for December 21-25:
Buffalo NY: Lake effect snows are going to impact the region with severe impacts from very heavy snowfall and limited travel in the region. This should improve by the 24th as the region will see slight impacts for the remainder of the period.
Gulfport MS: The period will start with high pressure and no impacts, however by the 24th the next frontal boundary will begin to impact the region. On Christmas Day the area could be dealing with moderate impacts along with some severe weather.
Sioux Falls SD: High pressure will keep the region impact free, however by the 24th expect to see light snow move into the region which will bring slight impacts to the area.
Boise ID: Moderate impacts expected today with moderate snow and then the rest of the week will see nice weather with no impacts forecasted.
Portland OR: The region will see showers all week long which will bring with it slight impacts all the way through Christmas.
Climate Watch for December 16-20:
Buffalo NY: The region started out very warm with temps about 13-21 degrees above average and then dropped to around 6-9 degrees above average for the remainder of the period.
Gulfport MS: The region has seen temps around 1-10 degrees above average the past five days.
Sioux Falls SD: The region started with temps about 1-2 degrees below average and then warmed to around 3-4 degrees above average and finished the period with a big cool down as temps are now about 8 degrees below average.
Boise ID: The period started with temps around 5-12 degrees above average and then fell to about 2 degrees below average followed by another warm up as temps are now back to around 9 degrees above average.
Portland OR: The period started with temps about 5-6 degrees above average and then they cooled to around 4 degrees below normal before warming back up to around 6-12 degrees above average.
Major Weather Impacts Discussion for December 19, 2012:
Day 1-3: The period will start with low pressure along the Northeast which will bring showers and snow showers to the region along with a good portion of the Eastern US seeing very strong winds and this will also create the Lake effect snows for the major snow belt cities today. High pressure over the Plains will bring tranquil weather to the region, while another low enters the Pacific Northwest. The period will end with a new low forming in the Southern Plains along with the onshore flow over the Northwest.
Day 4-7: The period will start with a low moving up the Southeast coast which will bring showers and thunderstorms to the Gulf Coast region. Another stronger low will be forming over the Colorado Rockies which will bring snow and rain. A weak area of high pressure will briefly build in over the West Coast. The middle of the period will have another low along the Gulf Coast with showers and thunderstorms – some will be severe again. A very strong high pressure center will be building in over the Plains and there will be a region of moderate snows that develops over the Northern Plains. Another frontal boundary will start to impact the Northwest. The period will end with another major storm moving up the East Coast along with very cold air building in over the Plains and another low pressure area moving in over the West Coast.
Day 8-12: The period will start with a major storm system in the Northeast as high pressure will be building in over the Plains and a strong low pressure system will be moving through the West Coast. Towards the middle of the period we will see the Northeast still getting impacted by low pressure. The Mid-Atlantic back into the Midwest will be dealing with a cold area of high pressure and low pressure will be moving into the Northern Plains. Also look for another low approaching the West Coast. The period will end with high pressure along the East Coast as another storm system begins to take shape in the Southern Plains and also a potent low pressure slides into Southern California.
Day 13-15: The period starts with high pressure along the East Coast. A Gulf low will begin to start developing and a strong cold high pressure center will slide through the Northern Plains along with another significant low pressure system approaching the Pacific Northwest. The middle of this period we will have another major storm system moving out of the Gulf of Mexico towards the Southeast United States. Expect to see snowfall in the deep south with this storm system along with very cold air behind it and another frontal system out west. The period will end with another storm system moving through the Great Lakes with moderate snows and the frontal boundary bringing with it some severe weather to the Gulf Coast region. Another frontal boundary will be moving into the Pacific Northwest.
Today’s Spotlight Forecast is for Fargo ND:
Friday: Partly Cloudy and cool with a high near 16F, winds from the South around 5-10mph as overnight lows fall to around 7F.
Saturday: Partly Cloudy and warmer with a high near 20F, winds from the Northwest around 10-15mph as overnight lows fall to around 1F.
Sunday: Mostly Cloudy with light snow as a high reaches to near 16F, winds will be from the Northeast around 5-10mph as overnight lows fall to around 6F.
Monday: Mostly Cloudy with light snow and a high near 13F, winds will be from the North around 10-15mph and overnight lows will fall to around -3F.
Tuesday: Partly Cloudy and very cold with a high near 6F, winds will be from the North around 5-10mph as overnight lows fall to around -1F.
Ask The Weatherman for December 21:
Question: Why do tornadoes hit the south during the winter?
Answer: Great Facebook question today! The answer to this is that during the months of November and December the very warm air off the Gulf of Mexico interacts with the cold air from Canada. This interaction of the two air masses creates a very unstable atmosphere forcing the region to experience these tornados which can sometimes be significant and we can even see an outbreak in the region just like yesterday with well over 50 tornado warnings in the Mobile, AL region.
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Green Energy Weather Report for December 21:
Wave Energy: The front pushing out over the Atlantic will bring moderate wave energy conditions to the region. Also look to see moderate waves over the Pacific Northwest with our next frontal boundary.
Solar Energy: High pressure over the Plains will make the Southern Plains along with the Southeast and Gulf Coast enjoy nice solar energy today.
Wind Energy: Very large area of winds from the Mississippi River Valley all the way into the Ohio River Valley and up and down the East Coast will be in a region of making wind energy some places may be too strong though but the majority of the region will be in the excellent wind energy zone.
Hydro-Energy: The Northeast will be getting rain and snow for long term hydro energy based building and also looking at the Great Lakes as they will be getting heavy snow today which will build the hydro base for the spring and also back in the Pacific Northwest.
December 21 Weather and Your Wallet (Austin TX):
Dining: You will need a jacket today, other than that it will be a nice day to enjoy an outdoor dinner today.
Transportation: Good smooth day with no weather impacts to slow the traffic.
Shopping: A light jacket this morning or evening if you’re going to head out to the malls.
Electricity: A nice day today with no major issues, there will be the need for heating this evening and through the overnight hours expect a total of 15.0HDD’s for today.
Agriculture: A great day to do some work around the farm or the back yard.
Construction: A nice day to get some last minute construction work done before the holidays.
Outdoor Venues: A jacket will be needed this morning and tonight if you are doing anything outdoors such as taking your pets for a walk in the park or even going fishing at the lake.
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2012-12-21 08:50:15
Source: http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112752745/big-story-weather-122112/
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