Big Story Weather – March 15, 2013
Daily weather forecast and wrap-up provided by redOrbit meteorologist Joshua Kelly.
redOrbit Meteorologist Joshua Kelly
Big Story Weather from March 14: A few snow showers remained over the Eastern Great Lakes, otherwise a good portion of the country saw high pressure and nice weather. The cold air did settle in over the Southeast as there were many late season frost and freeze advisories and warnings issued last night for this area.
Big Story Weather Discussion for March 15: A frontal boundary is moving through the Northern Plains today and into the Western Great Lakes. This will bring snow, freezing rain and even some rain to the region. High pressure will dominate the weather over the Southeast and Gulf Coast making for another nice day. The fire danger will be high in the region though. High pressure over the Southwest will bring another warm day to the region as high temps in some places push towards the 80-90F range. The west will remain fairly calm as well today. A few showers will be possible in the extreme Northwest part of the US. Here is the weather for a few select cities:
Detroit MI: Mostly cloudy and mild today with areas of light snowfall possible. Total daytime accumulations around 1-2 inches. High temps will be around 37F. Tonight look for more light snow with additional accumulations possible and low temps will be around 27F.
Houston TX: Partly cloudy skies today and mild with a high near 72F. This evening will remain partly cloudy as low temps fall to around 61F.
Chicago IL: Mostly cloudy with periods of snowfall possible. High temps will be around 36F and overnight lows will fall to near 30F. Total snowfall accumulations of 4-6 inches possible.
Austin TX: Partly cloudy and mild today with high temps around 73F and overnight lows around 57F.
Las Vegas NV: Partly cloudy and warm today with a high near 81F and low temps will fall to around 66F.
March 15, 2013 Storm Tracker Update:
Atlantic Basin: Low pressure moving towards the Middle East will bring showers and strong winds to the region which could lead to some dust storms. Another area of low pressure is now moving towards Europe and will bring showers and higher elevation snows to the area. Low pressure moving towards the East coast will bring a few snow showers to the lakes region.
Eastern Pacific: An area of low pressure is moving through the Northern Plains today and will bring with it some snow, rain and ice. A second area of low pressure is now moving through the Central Pacific towards the West Coast.
Western Pacific: Low pressure moving away from Japan should start to impact the Wake Island region later today with gusty winds and rain. Another area of low pressure is beginning to move out towards the Koreas and will bring snow and rain to the region this weekend.
Indian Ocean: No major issues in this basin today.
Southern Hemisphere: Tropical Cyclone Tim has winds around 45kts and pressure near 989mb. The storm will slowly drift towards the west. An area of low pressure is to the south of New Zealand and will have no impact to the region. Low pressure moving to the south of Africa will bring a cold front back to the region and a few showers. Another area of low pressure to the southwest of South America will have a long cold front extending back towards the northwest.
Five-Day Storm Index Outlook for March 15-19:
Detroit MI: There will be some impacts today due to moderate snowfall and then again on March 19 look for some impacts due to snowfall.
Houston TX: High pressure will keep the area impact free for the next five days.
Chicago IL: The next three days snowfall will bring impacts to the region, then expect some rainfall on March 18 to bring another round of impacts to the area before clearing out on March 19.
Austin TX: The next five days look to be impact free.
Las Vegas NV: A nice next five days with no impacts forecasted.
Climate Watch for March 10-14:
Detroit MI: The period started with above normal temps, and then the last three days the region saw temps falling below normal.
Houston TX: The period started with temps running below normal followed by a warm up for the last three days as temps have been running above normal now.
Chicago IL: The period started with temps above normal and then the last three days has seen temps running a little below normal.
Austin TX: The period started with temps below normal but rapidly warmed back up with temps running above normal to finish the period.
Las Vegas NV: On March 10 the temps were below normal, but the remainder of the period the temps stayed above normal and the last two days have been well above normal.
Major Weather Impacts Discussion for March 15, 2013:
Day 1-3: A few lake effect snow showers will be over the Eastern Lakes, while a clipper system begins to move into the Dakotas bringing ice and snow along with some rain to the area. High pressure over the Southeast will bring a nice day to the region. High pressure over the Rockies is going to make for another warm day in the Southwest and Southern California with many places seeing temps in the upper 80’s to lower 90’s. A new storm system will be moving into the Northern Rockies with an associated low pressure developing over the Southern Plains. The period will finish with high pressure over the Great Lakes and a storm system over Texas bringing showers and isolated thunderstorms to the region while another storm will be pushing into the Northern Rockies.
Day 4-7: High pressure will slide into the Northeast to start this period, while a frontal boundary will stall out over the Tennessee River Valley bringing showers and higher elevation snow to the region. A powerful storm system will move into the Northern Plains bringing moderate snowfall and rain to the area, while high pressure builds in over the West. By day five we will have a major winter storm in the Great Lakes along with heavy rain extending southward and even some severe weather towards the Gulf Coast region. High pressure will build in over the Northern Plains. Another frontal boundary approaches the West Coast. The low pressure will be impacting the Northeast with rain and snow, while the high pressure area slides into the Mississippi River Valley. A new powerful storm will also enter the Northwest. The period will finish with High pressure along the East Coast and the strong storm system moving into the Northern Plains bringing areas of heavy snow and rain along with some ice. The frontal boundary will extend towards the Southern Plains where a few storms could develop.
Day 8-12: The period starts with high pressure along the Mid-Atlantic region, while the storm system slides into the Central Plains and will have wide areas of snow, rain and some severe weather associated with it. Another weaker storm system enters the Pacific Northwest, while high pressure tries to build in over the Western US. Day nine we will be looking at a major winter storm impacting the Western Great Lakes back into the Northern Plains with heavy snowfall amounts possible. The frontal boundary will extend all the way to the Gulf Coast, look for areas of very heavy rain from Ohio southward and also Severe Weather from Tennessee and the Carolinas to the Gulf Coast. Day ten the storm system will exit the East Coast, while another strong and cold area of high pressure slides into the Northern Plains and another storm system pushes towards the Pacific Northwest. Day eleven we will see snow showers over a good portion of the East, while the strong high pressure ridges into the Plains and parts of the lower Mississippi River Valley. The period will end with a few snow showers along the East, but the big story will be the strong cold area of high pressure covering the region from the Rockies to the Ohio River Valley. A new storm system will be entering the West Coast.
Long Range Outlook: The period will start with a few snow showers still over the East Coast, while the strong high pressure center locks into the middle of the US for another day. A frontal boundary moves on shore over the West Coast. The middle of the period high pressure will finally slide to the Ohio River Valley as another storm system pushes into the Northern Plains. The period will end with high pressure moving into the Great Lakes and another storm system sliding into the Central Plains along with a new storm system over the Pacific Northwest and high pressure building in over the Southwest.
Today’s Spotlight Forecast is for Kansas City MO:
Friday: Mostly cloudy with periods of showers. Total rainfall amounts around 0.25 inches. High temps will be around 75F and low temps around 43F. Winds will be southerly 9-14mph.
Saturday: Mostly cloudy with periods of showers. Total rainfall amounts around 0.25 inches. High temps will be around 46F with low temps near 34F. The winds will be from the southwest 7-12mph.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy with periods of light rain. Total rainfall amounts around 0.1 inches. High temps will be around 50F with low temps near 30F. The winds will be from the southwest 12-17mph.
Monday: Mostly cloudy with areas of light rain. Rainfall totals around 0.05 inches. High temps will be near 50F with low temps around 23F. The winds will be southwesterly 5-10mph.
Tuesday: Partly cloudy and cool with a high near 51F. Low temps will drop to around 34F. The winds will be from the south 5-10mph.
Ask The Weatherman for March 15, 2013:
Question: What is the significance of the Polar Front Jet?
Answer: Have you ever been watching the weather and wondered why they were showing a map with the jet stream on it? Well here is what that map is used for. The jet stream is located about 20-30,000ft above the ground. This is where the atmosphere is moving from west to east. What happens is that the jet stream moves the weather, such as the high pressure centers and the low pressure systems, so this is referred to as the weather highway. We watch this map to determine where the weather features are going to move and how fast they are going to move. This can help us to prepare our daily weather forecast.
*** 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 March 15, 2013:
Wave Energy: Look for wave energy to be supportive off the Pacific Northwest and another area of the East Coast.
Solar Energy: High pressure over the Southeast and Gulf Coast will make this region a great location for solar energy today, and another location will be back in the Southwest.
Wind Energy: The Northeast behind the cold front will have a good push of wind energy today. Also in the Northern Plains behind the clipper system expect some good wind energy. The third place will be over the Southern Plains and back into the Southwest.
Hydro-Energy: No major areas of hydro energy expected today.
March 15 Weather and Your Wallet (Biloxi MS):
High pressure to the east of the area will bring return flow and nice weather to the region.
Dining: No issues forecasted for today. A great afternoon to eat outdoors.
Transportation: No weather impacts for the rush hours today.
Shopping: A nice day to get out and enjoy the outlet malls and all the spring deals they have.
Electricity: A very small time frame during the overnight and early morning will require about 1HDD for today.
Yard Work: Today will be a nice day to get out and plant those gardens and also clean up any winter leaves that still lay around the area. Looking for 14GDD’s for the garden today, which will be a nice boost to the flowers.
Construction: Today will be a nice day to do the outdoor jobs.
Outdoor Venues: A great night in store to catch an outdoor concert or even take a walk down the beach boardwalk.
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2013-03-15 07:05:27
Source: http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112804023/big-story-weather-031513/
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